What Is Body Checking?
It’s especially common in people living with eating disorders.
While this punch in of behavior is common, it can also take more extreme or compulsive forms.
This article discusses some common signs of body checking and the impact that this behavior can have on well-being.
It also explores some strategies that can help you reduce body checking or minimize its negative effects.
You may sometimes body check hundreds of times in one day.
It can impact how you feel about your shape and weight.
Body checking can feel like a compulsion.
It may also feel like an automatic oruncontrollable behavior.
They can offer treatment recommendations that can help.
While common, it becomes a problem if it leads to body dissatisfaction or disordered eating.
Although many people engage in body checking behaviors, it happens more often in those with eating disorders.
One 2018 review found that people who engaged in compulsive body checking were less satisfied with their bodies.
They were also more likely to experience negative moods after body checking.
One 2019 study found that women were more likely to experience body dissatisfaction following body checking than men.
It can also increase the harmful effects of an eating disorder.
Body checking is associated with distorted body image, decreased body dissatisfaction, and increased anxiety and depression.
The opposite is also true: Not address body checking behaviors can negatively impact recovery.
so that interrupt body checking, you must first become aware of the behavior.
The following strategies may be helpful.
You may even want to keep written notes.
Many people with eating disorders will check so often that they cannot log each time.
Do not stress if this is the case.
Instead, just be mindful of the frequency.
Striking a balance between these two extremes (body checking and body avoidance) is ideal.
Behaviors that are not compulsive or very frequent are not usually problematic.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
Calugi S, El Ghoch M, Dalle Grave R.Body checking behaviors in anorexia nervosa.Int J Eat Disord.
2013;51(8):507-511. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2013.05.004
