A not-at-all-comprehensive list of possibilities for communicating distress around body image that are not the hurtful & nonsensical “I feel fat”:
I am afraid of taking up space
I feel exposed
I feel unsafe
I don’t feel heard
I feel rejected
I feel like I’m coming out of my skin
I feel the need to escape [my body, this room, this situation]
I don’t want to be here right now
I am experiencing overwhelming shame
I am afraid of not meeting people’s standards
I feel grief/shame that x aspect of my body is stigmatized
I keep hearing other people’s judgments of my body in my head
My judgments of my body are so loud right now
My eating disorder is being so cruel
I’m afraid of my hunger
I feel out of control
I feel that I’ve failed to do the “right” behaviors
I am feeling unable to trust my body
I feel grief, anger, etc.
I need to cry, yell, etc.
I’m afraid I’m unlovable
I fear that I’m “bad” and my body must be “bad” too
I am angry at/afraid of my body for being the site of my trauma























