EP 300.5: Do You Still Have Bad Body Image Days? My Honest Answer + 8-Step Game Plan When You Are Feeling Blah

A woman in my community sent me a message this week that stopped me in my tracks: "Lindsey, do you ever have bad body image days? What does recovery actually look like years later? Do those old thoughts still creep in?"

Girlfriend, I had to sit with that one — because we don't talk about this enough. There's a myth floating around that recovery means you reach some magical finish line where body image struggles vanish forever. That is simply not true.

So today I'm pulling back the curtain completely and giving you my honest answer — plus the exact 8-step game plan I use when those old familiar feelings come knocking and I'm just feeling blah in my body. Grab your Target journal, friend. This one's a keeper.

The honest truth first

Yes — I still have days where I don't feel amazing in my body. Maybe I'm bloated, maybe I'm PMSing, maybe I caught myself in a dressing room mirror under those God-awful fluorescent lights, maybe I'm stressed in my business or walking through a hard season, and my body becomes the target for those feelings.

This is normal. And here's the difference. These moments used to consume entire weeks and months — sending me spiraling into restriction, over-exercise, avoidance. Now? They might last an hour, a moment, a day at most. Because I have a game plan that actually works.

Having these moments doesn't mean I'm not recovered. It means I'm human. Recovery isn't about never having a hard moment — it's about how quickly you return to love and gentleness with yourself when you do.

The 8-step game plan for bad body image days

1. Grace upon grace.Before anything else, give yourself permission to feel what you're feeling without judging the feeling. No more "I should be past this by now." Instead: "It's okay you're having this thought. You're human. This doesn't mean anything about your worth or your recovery." Talk to yourself the way you'd talk to your best friend.

2. Throw on the comfy, baggy clothes.Sounds simple — it's a game-changer. Soft jams, oversized shirt, cozy cardigan, hair in a bun. This isn't about hiding your body; it's about removing physical discomfort that amplifies emotional discomfort. Ditch the tight jeans. When you're not aware of how clothes are fitting, you can focus on how you actually feel instead of how you think you look.

3. Get to the root.Stop plucking weeds and expecting different results. Ask: "What's really going on here? What am I actually trying to control by focusing on my body?" Overwhelm? Anxiety about a relationship? Exhaustion? Nine times out of ten, the body image struggle is about something else entirely — and naming it lets you address the real issue instead of taking it out on your body.

4. Avoid the mirror for the rest of the day.If you're already in a critical headspace, why put yourself in front of a reflection you're only going to pick apart? No body checking, no seeking reassurance from a mirror. Body checking on a bad day is like picking at a wound and expecting it not to bleed. Catch yourself heading toward one? Turn around and find something else to do.