How to deal with post lockdown body anxiety

Are you feeling anxious about your body as you reconnect with the world post lockdown?

Perhaps you’re worrying about what others will think about your post lockdown body?

If so, you’re struggling with post lockdown body anxiety, but you’re not alone!

In this post, I’m sharing three tips to help you cope with post lockdown body anxiety.

Watch or read below:

Here in the UK, we’re slowly emerging from our third lockdown and trying to resume normal life again.

These enforced periods of isolation have been tough. I don’t think there’s a single person who hasn’t been affected by being separated from loved ones.

The pandemic has been an anxious and upsetting time. Especially for those who suffered with Covid, or lost loved ones to it.

Post lockdown body anxiety

And even though we’re living through a global pandemic, the voice of diet culture is loud and clear. It’s telling us we need to “dump the chunk” and get our “pre lockdown bodies back”.

If you’re feeling anxious about going back into the world, worried about weight gain during the pandemic and what other people are going to think about your post lockdown body, diet culture certainly isn’t helping your anxiety!

And, if you were anxious about your body before lockdown, it’s only natural if you’re struggling with heightened body anxiety post lockdown.

For the clients I’ve worked with during lockdown, despite making progress with the way they feel about their body, many are worried they won’t feel neutral in their body once they are out in the world.

Dealing with post lockdown body anxiety

To help you deal with any anxiety you’re experiencing about your body as you come out of lockdown, I’ve got three tips to help:

Your #1 priority is not to lose weight after lockdown

Unfortunately, the diet industry is ramping up the pressure to lose weight in the same way it does in January or pre-holiday season.

The pandemic has sadly created a new opportunity for the diet industry – don’t forget that. Despite the noise that you might be experiencing in the media, weight loss isn’t your #1 priority following a global pandemic.

Instead, decide what is most important to you like reconnecting with family and friends, fully recovering from long Covid, nurturing your mental health, or easing back into any hobbies you’ve had to put on pause.

Be compassionate to yourself

Be self-compassionate as you reconnect with the world. Don’t beat yourself up for being fearful or anxious about being around others again.

If you’re worrying about what others will think about your body, tell yourself that’s okay. Remember, there are other people experiencing the same emotions.

Ask what you would tell a friend who was feeling this way?

Be mindful of the media you’re consuming

As we come out of lockdown, be careful of the media you’re consuming.

Unfollow accounts that trigger you. There are plenty of posts about post lockdown weight loss or others that suggest you’ve wasted lockdown if you haven’t got super fit or learnt a new language.

Everyone responds differently to uncertainty. Some people like to fill their time with things to keep them busy, others need to slow down, grieve and comfort themselves, which can include food.

Weight gain isn’t the worst thing to happen to you during a global health crisis, so don’t let anyone tell you that it is!

So, there you have it, three tips to help you deal with heightened body anxiety post lockdown.

I’d love to hear if you’ve found these tips useful. Please leave me a comment below.