Today we have a blog post from one of our Master’s level interns, Jillian Young, about navigating body image during Summer. Jillian strives to honor each client’s unique story, approaching therapy with compassion, curiosity, and genuine presence.
She believes that therapy is most impactful when it feels like a real connection—one where you feel comfortable, understood, and move at a pace that feels right for you. Her style is both warm and grounded, offering steady support, gentle encouragement, and thoughtful structure when it’s needed most.
She creates a safe space where clients can be honest about the hard things, feel supported through the process, and even find moments of lightness along the way. Together, she will help you explore what matters most to you, building insight, resilience, and a path toward a life that feels more authentic, aligned, and meaningful.
Breaking Free From Summer Body Pressure
As we begin the month of June, signs of summer are everywhere – longer days, more time outside, and more social events. However for many people, summer also brings increased body image pressure. If this season feels triggering, you are not alone. With warmer days, more skin exposure, and increased messaging around appearance; body image concerns often become louder. This may create the illusion that you need a “perfect summer body”—something that doesn’t actually exist. So, how do you begin coping with this pressure? Let’s begin by approaching this with compassion and three ways to handle the summer body pressure.
Normalize the Pressure
There is nothing wrong with you feeling this way. Summer tends to emphasize body image visibility with pool parties, vacations, photos being taken – it may feel that you are being placed in the spotlight. The pressure to look a certain way is a common response to increased visibility and cultural messaging. Diet culture messages may become louder this time of year, feeling as though you need to fit into a “perfect” body type that does not exist. These thoughts you are having are a result of an increase in the external pressures you are experiencing – not as a result that something is wrong with your body. Naming this can help to reduce the shame and help you feel less isolated.
Reduce Body Checking and Comparison
Body checking is the compulsive and repeated monitoring of your body, whether its size, shape, or weight. Body checking through mirrors, photos, or comparison often increases levels of anxiety. How do you begin to shift this pattern? Start by setting small limits. Perhaps check the mirror once before you leave and then continue with your day, instead of repeatedly checking. Begin to notice triggers regarding comparison – is it social media or certain environments that provoke these feelings? For example, if scrolling social media increases comparison, consider setting time limits or curating your feed to include more body-diverse or neutral content. When comparison begins to creep in, gently redirect your mind to thoughts of, “What am I doing right now?” and “What matters at this moment?” This can help you to ground yourself and have your mind focus on something else.
Shift Toward Body Neutrality
You do not have to love every part of your body to respect it. Body neutrality is just as powerful and helpful in the journey to dealing with summer body pressure. Shift your thinking about your body from appearance to function. Focus on what your body does for you each day and how it supports you. We spend so much time focused on how our bodies look that we forget to appreciate all they do for us just the way they are. Practice neutral statements such as, “This is my body today”. It may not be the same as yesterday and it may not look the same tomorrow, and sitting with that is a step in the journey. Finally, engage in actions that demonstrate care to your body without tying them to appearance such as hydration, rest, and movement. All are needed to survive, but they do not need to be tied to the way your body looks. Body neutrality may feel more accessible than forced positivity so remembering that may help you through this summer pressure.
Summer doesn’t have to be a season of self-criticism—it can be a season of presence. The pressure to look a certain way may be loud, but it doesn’t have to dictate how you experience your life. You are allowed to take up space, to enjoy the warmth, to be in photos, and to participate fully as you are right now without changing your body size. When you meet yourself with compassion instead of criticism, you create room for a summer that feels more meaningful, grounded, and genuinely yours.
If summer body pressure feels overwhelming, practicing self-compassion can help interrupt cycles of shame and comparison. One resource I recommend is The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer which offers practical exercises for navigating self-criticism, comparison, and difficult emotions with greater kindness.
An affirmation I would like to leave with you is this: “I am allowed to exist, be seen, and enjoy my life exactly as I am today.”
You Got This!
Jillian
We hope you found Jillian’s insights on releasing Summer body pressure helpful. If her message resonated with you, this could be the perfect time to take meaningful steps towards your healing and peace. To initiate your work with Jillian, please feel free to call our office at 615-510-3797 or click here to learn more.
