Have you struggled with body confidence? Are you a parent that judges their body in front of your children? Where do body image issues come from? In this podcast episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini speaks with Cliona Byrne about building body confidence.

MEET CLIONA BYRNE

Cliona Byrne is a body confidence coach and she helps people from all over the world to boost their body image. So whether you are an adult, parent or teen, Cliona offers support and guidance to help people get comfortable in their body.

Visit Cliona Byrne's website and connect with her on Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

FREEBIE: Get your Free Body Confidence Journal!

IN THIS PODCAST

  • How body image issues can begin in the home
  • Bodies change throughout life
  • Rewire your mind

How body image issues can begin in the home

We become aware of the fact that we are judged around the age of 10, and after that, we become aware of the conversations that happen in our home, and the culture around body image we have in our home. This could be commenting on other people’s bodies and being judgmental about other people’s bodies. (Cliona Byrne)
What happens in the home seems normal to a child, even if it objectively isn’t. If the guardians or parents of a child make comments about the child’s body and other people’s bodies, the child will learn that this is okay to do. If the guardians or parents of the child are judgmental and critical of their bodies in front of the child, the child will learn to judge and critique its own. How close friends and family act and talk about body image become the culture of that circle of people, and children who grow up in that environment will internalize those messages to be the truth or to be normal.
Every family has one. No family is exempt from this, and that’s where we develop our body image. It’s in that space of how we talk about bodies at home and our attitude towards bodies. (Cliona Byrne)

Bodies change throughout life

It is normal for your body to change. Through aging, genetics, hobbies, sports activities, lifestyle, giving birth and raising children, and going through middle age, all of these important life circumstances and events can shape and change you as a person, let alone how you look.
I hate the narrative of “bouncing back” or “getting your body back” as if your body ever went anywhere … there’s a lot of pressure with the concept of bouncing back, and that’s why I think we need to own the changes and be comfortable in the changes. (Cliona Byrne)
Your body will change. It is supposed to develop and change throughout your life. If you had a baby, it is unrealistic to expect your body to not look like it had a baby.
It’s not natural for us to stay the same. It’s not natural for us to never change. (Cliona Byrne)

Rewire your mind

Whose narratives are you internalizing? To which standard are you comparing yourself? Whose voice is in your head telling you how you should look and what “normal” is? Rewire your mind by tackling these societal norms and find out what you believe and what feels right to you, instead of living your whole life by someone else’s expectations. Go back and discover why you feel this way.
The more critical we are of other people, we spiral, and we become more critical of ourselves. They’re just the tip of the iceberg … being critical of other people impacts our body image and makes it worse. (Cliona Byrne)
Notice how you speak about other people because this can give you information about how you may feel about yourself as well. Start looking for the good in other people to learn to notice it in yourself.

USEFUL LINKS

MEET DR. CRISTINA CASTAGNINI

I am a licensed Psychologist and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist. While I may have over 20 years of clinical experience, what I also have is the experience of having been a patient who had an eating disorder as well. One thing that I never had during all of my treatment was someone who could look me in the eye and honestly say to me "hey, I've been there. I understand". Going through treatment for an eating disorder is one of the hardest and scariest things to do. I remember being asked to do things that scared me. Things I now know ultimately helped me to get better. But, at the time, I had serious doubts and fears about it. If even one of my providers had been able to tell me "I know it's scary, but I had to go through that part too. Here's what will probably happen...." then perhaps I would not have gone in and out of treatment so many times. My own experience ultimately led me to specialize in treating eating disorders. I wanted to be the therapist I never had; the one who "got it". I will be giving you my perspective and information as an expert and clinician who has been treating patients for over 2 decades. But don't just take my word for it...keep listening to hear the truly informative insights and knowledge guest experts have to share. I am so happy you are here!

THANKS FOR LISTENING

Did you enjoy this podcast? Feel free to comment below and share this podcast on social media! You can also leave a review of Behind The Bite on Apple Podcasts (previously) iTunes and subscribe!