BEFORE YOU COMMENT …

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✔️I wish this could be a class subject in schools worldwide. Even if a comment about someone else has good intentions, it most often does more harm than good. When I was struggling, especially with anorexia, I was a master at twisting other’s words so that they aligned with my beliefs. The issue was my beliefs and perception were distorted by the lens of my disorder.
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?Person: “Brittany you are so thin! I’m worried about you.”

?Me: “Thin? But I want to look skinny! I’m such a failure. This means I have to lose even more weight now!”

?Person: “You look great Britt! I wish I had strong, athletic legs like you.”

?Me: “Does this mean I look fat? Am I gaining too much weight now?”

I would twist any comment so that it fit with how I felt. It was a lose-lose situation and the person giving the comment never stood a chance.

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Confirmation bias is something the majority of individuals experience. This is the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories. So, if you are already feeling a certain way about yourself, things that affirm your feelings will reinforce them. Even if you don’t have an eating disorder, body comments are never justifiable unless it’s from a doctor whose comments are medically necessary. Keep this in mind next time you think of giving a body-related comment. And if you receive a body-related comment, remember that you get to decide how it affects you. ~Britt?