Body Image Survey

Waaaaay back in the day my writing centered more on the ins and outs of eating disorder recovery and all that recovery entailed - emotionally, physically, and even spiritually. Then came God's precious blessing of two living babies and an angel baby, thus anything remotely related to body image just (naturally) slipped under the rug.

Remember back in 2013 when I hosted a "Life With An Eating Disorder Series" and several brave women shared their stories? God is breaking down chains anytime we speak our hurts and hangups out-loud and bring them into the light.

Currently, I am doing a little research on several areas surrounding body image and food "issues" and the common threads that keep this such a hot topic for women in our generation. Because sadly, even though I (by the grace of God) have moved on from my eating disorder, many women are still walking around head down, letting calorie count and jean size control their thoughts. And we all know what makes up our thoughts makes up our days and what makes up our days makes up our lives.

So here is where you come in . . . a survey of sorts, if you're up for the challenge. Please feel free to email me personally with your answers if you are not comfortable sharing in the comment section of this post. This survey should only take a few minutes of your time.

Thank you so much!

BODY IMAGE SURVEY
(All questions can be framed in either past or present struggles.)

1. Have you struggled with feeling insecure about your body?

2. If yes, who or what made you feel that way?

3. Have body anxieties ever impacted your daily life?

4. If yes, please give some examples of how your life has been impacted. (One example could be that your body anxieties prevented you from attending a social event that you really wanted to attend.)

5. How has comparison played a role in how you view your body?

6. Has the expectation of how you think your body should look (vs. the natural body/shape that God actually gave you) played a role in your view of self?

7. If yes, please expand on how your expectations have played a role.

8. Has your body insecurities lead you to control your food intake in an unhealthy way?

9. If yes, please give some examples of how this control plays out in your diet. (Some examples  could be "I measure everything I eat according to serving size before eating." Or "I don't allow myself to eat between meals even if hungry.)

10. Would you rather be slightly bigger than you are but be healthy, or slightly smaller than you are but not as healthy?

11. What positive coping skills have you learned, if any, to help combat these insecurities, comparison, and/or control as it relates to body image and food intake?

12. Things that make me feel better about my body are _________  (fill in the blank).

13. If you could give one tip to another woman for increasing her body image confidence and embracing the true beauty in who God created her to be, what would it be?

(Some questions were taken/adapted from this survey.)

Celebrating Camille Turning Two

We had a great time celebrating Camille's 2nd birthday this past Saturday. We played and played and ate and ate (read: lots of junk and sugar and processed carbs) and just enjoyed a few hours with good friends. Several weeks prior we took Camille to Hobby Lobby to pick out a few decorations. This trip confirmed our suspicion that yellow is in fact her favorite color, as EVERYTHING she was suggesting we put in the cart was yellow. I tried to gently steer her towards a different choice because I wanted to make sure she had carefully weighed all her options but alas, she was firm in her conviction. Threw in some pink for good measure.

Brandon slaving away prepping the hash browns. . .

My sweet sister hung out in Clara's room with her for a good portion of the party. Can't blame her for needing to escape all the noise and crazy . . . 

Time for candles. . .

Nope, not having it. . .

While she wasn't down with all the attention during the "Happy Birthday Song," she was down with the endless supply of sugar in the form of mini donuts. . .

Decided to brave the chaos. . . :)

So thankful for these three. . .

Back chilling in her bedroom. . . 

Camille's face as the last person walked out the door. . .

A big thanks to all our family and friends that made Saturday such an enjoyable day! Love this girl so much and can't wait to see what all God has in store for her this next year.

(Also a big thanks to my mother-in-law for, once again, playing photographer so Brandon and I could mingle and enjoy our company!)