Body checking refers to the compulsive examination of one’s physical appearance. When someone body checks, they continuously “check” their size, weight, or overall physical image. The behavior acts as an attempt to seemingly control the body. However, over time, body checking can jeopardize a person’s self-esteem and interfere with other parts of daily functioning such as work, relationships, or normal routine.
What Is Body Checking?
Body checking entails continuously seeking data about your body’s weight, size, shape, or overall appearance.1 It’s relatively common for people to occasionally body check at different points throughout their lives. However, for some, body checking can become compulsive and lead to negative self-perceptions, as well as body image problems.
Some common examples of body checking include:
- Frequent weigh-ins (up to several times a day)
- Measuring body parts
- Looking into the mirror as often as possible
- Continuously comparing certain parts of their body to others
- Pinching or stretching skin from different body parts (i.e., stomach, arms, thighs)
- Experiencing a general obsession with one’s reflection and/or appearance
- Feeling for fat or muscle
- Repeatedly checking how certain clothing items fit
- Continuously seeking verbal reassurance from others about size or shape
Body Checking vs. Body Avoidance
Body avoidance is the opposite of body checking. Instead of continuously seeking data about how one’s body looks, someone who engages in body avoidance steers away from looking at themselves. Body avoidance can include several behaviors, such as avoiding clothes shopping; keeping physical distance from others; shying away from activities that require skin exposure (like swimming); and limiting glances in the mirror whenever possible.
Body avoidance can also be problematic, because a person is still typically focused on their weight, size, and appearance. Like body checking, avoiding one’s feelings or their situation does not alleviate the associated anxiety.
What Causes Body Checking?
Body checking closely coincides with body dissatisfaction, and research shows that body dissatisfaction is relatively common. Approximately 20-40% of women and 10-30% of men are dissatisfied with their bodies. These numbers are higher for adolescents and young adults.2 Moreover, according to the CDC, nearly 1 in every 5 adults report being on some type of diet on any given day.3
Some body checking likely stems from societal pressures, as well. We undoubtedly live in a world that places extraordinary emphasis on physical appearance. Some people may engage in body checking to ensure that they meet these high standards. Furthermore, athletic coaches, family members, or peer groups may engage in collective body checking, making the act seem more normal and even appropriate.
Body Checking & Eating Disorders
Body checking often goes hand-in-hand with eating disorders. People with eating disorders are typically preoccupied with their weight, size, or general appearance (or all of the above). Therefore, they are more prone to frequent body-checking behaviors, which may be a form of controlling or dictating certain food patterns.
For example, someone with anorexia may use the number on the scale as permission to eat or not eat that day. Similarly, someone with bulimia may feel that they are fat based on pinching their skin, sometimes triggering shame contributing to a binge-purge episode. That said, there isn’t specific data on whether or not those with different eating disorders engage in different types of body checking. However, many with eating disorders also engage in body avoidance behaviors, such as wearing loose clothing, avoiding mirrors, and isolating from others due to their appearance.
Body Checking & Other Disorders
People with anxiety disorders may engage in body-checking behaviors. The act of body checking, in a sense, might be an attempt to relieve symptoms of anxiety. It can also serve as a distraction to avoid coping with other current stressors.
Body checking may also be present in:
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Body dysmorphia
- Panic disorder
- Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
- Histrionic personality disorder (HPD)
- Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)
When Is Body Checking Problematic?
It’s fairly typical for people to look in the mirror to assess how they look, try on clothes to see how they fit, weigh themselves, or take physical measurements periodically. But if these behaviors become controlling and obsessive, or dictate how you spend your time, you may be engaging in problematic body checking. Furthermore, body checking is an issue if it directly influences your mood or self-esteem.
Body checking can also be problematic if it:
- interferes with your ability to think clearly
- takes up a great deal of your time
- makes you stop or restrict your eating
- makes you engage in excessive exercise
- creates problems in your work, academic, or personal life
- causes you to feel depressed
- triggers more anxiety and restlessness
- becomes obsessive (you feel anxious without a mirror or scale)
Impacts of Body Checking
Body checking can have a significant impact on someone’s mental health in the long-term. It may also correlate with increased anxiety and depression. In addition, it may exacerbate already present problems with self-worth and self-esteem. Finally, someone who engages in body checking might engage in dangerous, disordered habits to control or change their body.
Compulsive body checking can lead a person to experience:
- Feelings of inadequacy
- Feelings of depression
- Disordered eating
- Social withdrawal
- Worsening eating disorder symptoms
- Heightened body dysmorphia
- Spending excessive time or money on beauty products
- Addiction to plastic or cosmetic surgery procedures4
9 Tips to Reduce Body Checking
Stopping or reducing problematic body checking can be challenging. However, there are numerous ways you can combat this compulsion. Be patient and compassionate with yourself as you begin this process. Change may take time–committing this time and effort should help you experience some relief.
Strategies to reduce body checking behavior include:
- Identify why you want to change: When changing problematic behavior, it’s important to identify your motivation. Write down how you believe change will benefit you, and keep those goals in a visible place.
- Get baseline data: Measure how often you engage in body-checking behavior. Ideally, keep a tally of how often you do so in a day or week. This will give you initial data for making improvements.
- Commit to reducing specific behaviors: Quantifying changes can help you stay accountable. Some people benefit from quitting behaviors cold-turkey, but others need a more gradual approach. For example, if you weigh yourself three times a day, start by only weighing yourself once a day.
- Manage your stress levels: Body checking often correlates with increased stress. Try to manage stress throughout the day by practicing mindfulness and engaging in healthy coping skills.
- Unfollow triggering social media accounts: If certain people or online pages tend to make you feel insecure, unfollow those accounts. Consider setting limits on your social media use in general, as research shows that up to half of all women who compare themselves to people online do so unfavorably.5
- Consider getting rid of triggering reminders: Consider throwing away the scale, tape measures, or old clothes that no longer fit you. Delete or stash away photos that may be triggering.
- Look into body neutrality movements: Body neutrality is a concept that encourages a person to focus more on what their body can do, rather than how it looks. Some people find this method a healthier and more realistic solution than body positivity movements.
- Practice pausing and postponing: If you feel especially triggered to engage in problematic body checking behaviors, remember you can pause and postpone the checking. For example, you might tell yourself you can engage in that choice at a later time or date, slowly encouraging yourself away from these behaviors.
- Speak with a therapist: A therapist can help you better understand your triggers and support you in staying accountable for your recovery goals.
When to Seek Help
Body checking can quickly spiral into a detrimental mental health issue. It can also exacerbate preexisting eating disorders, depression, and anxiety disorders. If left untreated, body checking may significantly impair the quality of your life.
If you can’t stop body checking–or you’re worried about its impact on your functioning–it may be time to seek professional support. Cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy all focus on reducing unwanted behaviors, while fostering positive thought patterns. You should choose a therapist with experience in treating self-esteem problems and/or body dysmorphia. Making use of an online therapist directory is an excellent starting point.
Final Thoughts
Body checking can be an insidious issue, but you are not alone in your struggles. Seeking support can make a tremendous difference in how you feel. If you are compulsively looking at (or avoiding) your body, consider speaking to a qualified mental health professional today.
For Further Reading
- Best Eating Disorder Apps
- 11 Best Books About Eating Disorders
- 12 Best Eating Disorder Recovery Blogs
- 10 Best Eating Disorder Movies
- Body Checking and Avoidance – Centre for Clinical Interventions
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder – Mental Health America
Body Checking Infographics
