BODY IMAGE

WORKBOOK
AN EVIDENCE-BASED SELF-
IMPROVEMENT GUIDE TO FEELING
CONFIDENT IN YOUR BODY
 WELCOME
Hi There!
I know you want to be strong, confident and making the most of life.
In order to do that, you need to change how you feel about yourself.

The problem is, you don't like your body. You're tired of always thinking about
food. You feel self-conscious and insecure. It's exhausting.

But damn, life is too short to hold yourself back.

Defining yourself by your appearance limits what you're capable of achieving.

You know there's more to you than how you look.

But breaking free isn't easy. This is why I have created this workbook.

I urge you to take the time to complete the exercises. Don't just read it.

Improving how you feel about yourself takes a conscious effort and lots of
practice. But what's the alternative?

Start today. You deserve it.

Shannon Beer

ABOUT ME
A s a p e r s o na l h e alt h co ac h , I h e lp i n d iv id u al s
t o s h if t th e ir foc u s fro m t h e ir bo d i e s t o wh at
t r ul y mat t e r s t o t h em: who t he y a re a nd h o w
t h e y w an t t o live.

I a m a r egi ster ed n u triti on ist w i t h a b ackg rou nd

i n l aw . I ha ve tr ain e d in c oun se lli ng s ki lls and
p sy cho th er a py - b ased app r oac he s s uch as C M T ,
RE B T a nd M otiva tion a l In te rv ie w in g.
 Copyright © Shannon Beer 2022
All Rights Reserved
The contents of this workbook are for educational purposes

only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for

professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek

the advice of your mental health professional or other

qualified health provider with any questions you may have.

WELCOME VIDEO

I am so glad you are here

WATCH

@SHANNONBEER_
 CONTENTS

1
UNDERSTAND YOUR BODY IMAGE

2
BODY IMAGE EMOTIONS

3
DEVELOPING HEALTHIER THOUGHTS

4
BODY IMAGE BEHAVIOURS

5
SELF WORTH

6
BUILDING STRENGTHS

7
TAKING ACTION

@SHANNONBEER_
-4-
 HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
This is an action-oriented workbook.

Think of this journey as an experiment.

It is about learning about yourself and exploring your

thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

It might be an uncomfortable process at times, but to see

these changes, you will need to commit to putting the
exercises into practice.

Reading this book will heighten your awareness,

but if you don’t do anything, then you will not see any
changes.

Here are some tips for success on your journey:

Make yourself a Engage your

priority in your friends and family
schedule. for support.

Reward yourself and Keep going even

reflect on your wins. when it's difficult.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 BEFORE WE BEGIN...

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO GET OUT

OF THIS BOOK?

WHERE YOU
WANT TO BE

WHERE YOU
ARE NOW

01. Take a few moments to describe your appearance, and how you

feel about your appearance.

02. How would your life improve if you worked on your body image?

What would be different?

03. Why did you pick up this book? What are you hoping to change?

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 REAL LIFE

CLIENT CASE STUDY

MEET BRIANNA
NEUWIRTH

Brianna came to me explaining how she 'traded extreme

control and restriction and an ultra-lean appearance for a

much heavier body, with binge behaviours, constant anxiety,

food-focus, and poor body image/self-esteem...'

We worked together to address her attitudes towards her

body and the way that it was controlling her life. As she

began to develop more appreciation for herself, including

self worth that comes from within, she was able to focus less

on food and more on living her life.

BEFORE AFTER

Restricted by a list of fear Taking a flexible, balanced

foods. approach to nutrition.

Scrutinising and punishing Appreciating and respecting

her body. her body.

Withdrawing from social Enjoying social occasions and

events due to fear. being present with friends.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 REAL LIFE

CLIENT CASE STUDY

MEET JOSHUA
BEGGS

Josh came to me rigidly tracking

his macros, eating a limited

range of foods, experiencing

gastrointestinal distress from

excessive fibre consumption (too

many veggies in an attempt to

fill up) and performing excessive

amounts of cardio. By improving

his body image, he was able to

create a more balanced

lifestyle.

Listen to our podcast HERE.

BEFORE AFTER

Obsessively counting Fuelling himself sufficiently

calories and macros. and eating a variety of foods.

Fear of fat gain. Let go of the idea of a

No headspace to engage perfect body.

in hobbies outside of the Making room for other

gym. important things in his life.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

LISTEN TO THE
FULL JOURNEY

CONSILIENCE

00.20 -2.20

LISTEN NOW
You can change how
you look without
changing how you feel,
and you can change
how you feel without
changing how you look.
- SHANNON BEER

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 1
C H A P T E R

UNDERSTAND YOUR
BODY IMAGE

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 BODY IMAGE
Your body image is the perception you have of your physical self, and
the thoughts and feelings that arise from that perception.

1 2

Perceptual Affective
The way you see The way you feel
yourself. This is not about how you look.
always accurate.

'I'm not lean enough' 'I feel ashamed of my body'

3
4

Cognitive Behavioural
The way you think
The things you do in
about your body.
relation to how you look.

'If I was leaner I'd be

'I can't wear this'
more attractive'

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

6 types of

Body Image
Disturbances
HOW MANY DO YOU RELATE TO? 💭

Body dissatisfaction
General discontent with your
body or its parts.

Body preoccupation
Obsessions about your body
image and how to change it.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 Fear of weight gain
Fear of gaining fat or seeing the
number on the scale increase.

Social comparisons
Regularly evaluating oneself
against another person.

Body checking
Safety behaviours designed to
calm concerns we have about our
appearance, such as self-weighing.

Body image avoidance

Avoiding situations that will draw
our attention to how we look.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 IMPACTS
SOCIAL AND ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS
Worrying that others will judge your appearance
can hold you back from fully participating in your
social life and relationships.

LIFE ENJOYMENT AND SATISFACTION

Placing too much value on how you look can
lead to a neglect of other important areas of
your life, like your hobbies and interests.

WORK OR STUDY
You may also find it difficult to concentrate on
your work or study tasks due to excessive
thinking or worrying about how you look.

PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH
Constantly focussing on perceived defects can
lead you to experience feelings of depression,
anxiety, embarrassment and shame.

PHYSICAL HEALTH
Your concerns about your body may lead you to
restrictively diet and excessively exercise,
causing harm to your physical health.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

What areas of your life are affected by your body image?

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 WHY DO WE CARE
ABOUT HOW WE LOOK?
Believe it or not, there was once a time in your
life when you didn’t care about how you look. We
are not born thinking about our physiques each
day. This is something that gradually develops
over time, beginning in childhood.

Historical Current
Influences Influences
Influences from your past Events and experiences in
affect how you came to view everyday life that determine
your appearance in the ways how you think, feel, and react
that you do. to your looks.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

01. Take a moment to write down any experiences you

have had that may have increased your concern and

focus on your appearance.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 SOCIETAL NORMS
CHANGE OVER TIME
Just consider this portrait that was painted by
Rubens in the 1600’s.

MUSEU CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN, LISBOA.

There once was a time when this look was considered the
epitome of beauty. The black satin dress, large fan and
broad-brimmed hat (decorated with ostrich feathers no
less) was in vogue among the bourgeoisie of the era.

Imagine the looks you’d get if you dressed this way now!

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 SELF OBJECTIFICATION
When we view our bodies as objects to be looked at, and
believe that our appearance matters more than our
thoughts or feelings, we engage in self-objectification.

Self Objectification Self Surveillance

Internalized view of Vigilant body
self as object monitoring

Mental health risks Negative experiences

Eating disorders, Body shame,
depression, sexual appearance anxiety,
dysfunction disrupted flow

A model of objectification theory as proposed by Fredrickson and Roberts (1997).

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 A NEW PERSPECTIVE
Working on your body image involves shifting from a
3rd person perspective, viewing yourself from the
outside, to a 1st person perspective - viewing yourself
from the inside out.

3rd person 1st person

perspective perspective

Objectifying 'Whole' View

View

My physical There's a lot more

appearance is more to me, and my life,
important than my than simply how I
personality. look.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

Many people agree with this on
an intellectual level but have
difficulty actually embodying
that 'whole' view.

This workbook will help you to

do that.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 WHAT ABOUT DIETING?
It is difficult to improve your body image if you are
actively trying to change your body composition.

Body Dietary Inflexible

Dissatisfaction Restraint Rules

Negative thoughts,
feelings, perceptions, With or without Increased risk of
weight/shape-related caloric restriction eating pathology
behaviours

Poorer mental
and physical
health-related
quality of life

However it is possible to improve your

nutrition and your body image at the same
time, if we focus on the right things...

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 INTUITIVE EATING
It is difficult to improve your body image if
you are actively trying to change your
body composition.

Intuitive eating uniquely

and consistently
predicted lower levels of
disordered eating and
body image concerns.

Strong connection Focus on how the

Unconditional body feels, rather
with hunger and
permission to eat than calorie-
satiety cues
burning

Making peace with Finding ways to Rejecting diet

food & detaching self cope with emotions culture, respecting
worth from eating other than turning the body &
behaviours to food honouring health

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

DECISION TO CHANGE
Letting go of dieting can be
If I could just lose
a difficult or scary decision.
a few more kilos,
This exercise will help you to
I'd feel good
weigh up the pros and cons
about myself.
and figure out what's best
for you right now.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 IF YOU'RE FEELING
STUCK, CONSIDER...

1 2 3 4 5
How has What's that Are you
What have What has open to
that like for
you tried? that cost? something
worked? you?
different?

'You’ve put a lot of time and effort and energy into

trying to change your physique and you're not
feeling any more confident in yourself. It makes
perfect sense that you hoped that would be the
solution. Tying to change your body has taken a toll
on your health, your relationships and your life. This
has been hard for you. Are you open to trying
something different, that might work better, in
terms of improving how you feel about yourself?'

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 2
C H A P T E R

BODY IMAGE EMOTIONS

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 Body Image emotions are usually caused by a
trigger that sets off a cycle involving judgement of
body and self-worth, self-consciousness, shame, or
anxiety, and avoidance or fixing behaviours.

Trigger

Feel ‘fat’ or 'ugly'

Avoidance or fixing
behaviours
Body Image Judgement of body
and self-worth
Cycle

Self-consciousness,
shame, anxiety

Body Shame
Can disturb the connection Specific risk factor of Positively associated with
to one’s body negative body image DE symptomatology

Self-objectification Body-shame Disordered eating

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 FEELING FAT
We often hear of people feeling sad, angry, hurt, happy,
excited...

But feeling ‘fat’? What does that even mean?

Feelings of fatness have little to do with our actual

physical appearance. These feelings can fluctuate in
intensity and frequency from day to day - sometimes
you feel fine, sometimes you feel 'fat'.

Feelings of 'fatness'

Actual
Body Weight

Time

The reality is that our bodies don't change that

quickly. So they're probably not the problem.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 MISLABELLING
EXPERIENCES
We have a tendency to
mislabel our experiences,
especially those that
What is going on in my heighten awareness of
life to make me focus on our body sensations, or
my body today, at this changes in our mood.
moment?

Next time you feel 'fat',

think about how you are
really feeling.

What else is going on?

Too full Hot & sweaty

Sad Lonely

Bored Bloated

Tight Body
clothes checking

Social comparisons

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 IDENTIFYING FEELINGS
Sometimes it can be difficult to know exactly
what we are feeling and to put it into words. You
can use the emotion wheel to help.

Studies show that naming your emotions

immediately releases their grip over you and
reduces physiological distress

WHAT'S GOING ON FOR ME RIGHT NOW IS…

I FEEL ____ BECAUSE ____

https://allthefeelz.app/cc/feeling-wheel/

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 CULTIVATING
MINDFULNESS
Increasing attention to your experience in the present
moment may help you be more aware of your emotions.

Mindful Body Scan

Breathing

GRADUALLY CONCENTRATES ON
FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON
DIFFERENT PARTS OF BODY FROM LEGS
YOUR BREATH, THE INHALE
TO HEAD WHILST IMAGINING RELEASE
AND EXHALE.
OF TENSION AND RELAXING THE BODY.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 CULTIVATING
ACCEPTANCE
Allowing thoughts and feelings to occur
without attempting to deny them.

01. What coping statement can you use next time you are feeling

down about your appearance?

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 3
C H A P T E R

BODY IMAGE
THOUGHTS

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 BODY IMAGE JOUNRAL
Keeping a body image diary can help us to identify
the situations that trigger the thoughts we have
about our appearance, how that makes us feel, and
how we behave in response. This awareness is the
first step to improving our body image and worrying
less about how we look.

Environmental triggers
(e.g., viewing one’s reflection in
a mirror)

Negative appraisal of
appearance

Unhelpful behavioral strategies

(e.g., avoidance and camouflaging)

THE NEXT TIME YOU HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT YOUR BODY, ASK YOURSELF:

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 A ACTIVATORS
What events activated or
triggered your feelings
about your looks?

B BELIEFS
What were you saying to
yourself about the events?

C
CONSEQUENCES
How did you react
emotionally? How did you
react behaviorally?

B O D Y I M A G E W O R K B-9-
OOK | SHANNON BEER
MY BODY IMAGE JOURNAL
Take a moment to write down any triggers
that you have experienced recently that may
have increased your level of concern about
your appearance.

B O D Y I M A G E W O R K B-9-
OOK | SHANNON BEER
 BELIEFS ABOUT
APPEARANCE
In order to improve our body image, we have
to focus on changing some of our thoughts
and beliefs.

The difficulty is that we're often not aware of

what, or how, we're thinking half the time!
Many of our beliefs about our own appearance,
and the value of looking a certain way, are so
ingrained that they occur automatically.

Appearance Beliefs can come in the form of

statements such as:

'If... then...'
'If I look attractive, then my friends will value me more'.
'If I relax my standards, then I will let myself go'.
'If I look attractive, then I will be successful in life'.

'If I don't... then...'

'If I don't change my appearance, then I
will never be happy'.
'If I don't look perfect, then others will
reject me'.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 COMMON BELIEFS
Assumption that:
a) Something can/should be done, and
b) It will lead to feeling better

People will notice me differently I will feel or be more successful

I will be more confident People will be nicer to me

I will feel more comfortable Life will be easier

More people will find me People will like me better

attractive

Take a moment to consider the sorts of appearance

assumptions that you may hold. To help you with this,

think about what you expect of your appearance, what

standard you think you must achieve physically, and

then what you think will happen if you don’t achieve

this.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

01. Identify the appearance assumption you would like to adjust

02. Ask yourself 'What impact does this assumption have on my life?'

03. Ask yourself 'In what ways is this assumption unreasonable,

unrealistic or unhelpful?'

04. What might be a more balanced and flexible assumption?

05. What can I do to put this assumption into practice on a daily

basis?

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 REMINDER:
None of the factors we associate with the
ideal are genuinely related to weight.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 UNHELPFUL
THINKING STYLES
Sometimes we think in ways that are inaccurate and
negatively biased. Pay attention to your thinking
style and see if you notice any of the following:

1- DICHOTOMOUS THINKING 2 - UNFAIR COMPARISONS

Either I'm the perfect weight or I am 'fat'. Why can't I be as lean as him/her?

3 - SELECTIVE ATTENTION 4 - SCAPEGOATING

I hate the cellulite on the back of my legs. I will never get a partner because I'm too ugly.

5 - PROJECTION 6 - FORTUNE TELLING

If I think I look bad, others must think I look People at the gym will stare at me and laugh
bad too. because I look bad.

7 - PROHIBITIVE THINKING 8 - EMOTIONAL REASONING

Until I lose 4kgs, I can’t go to the gym. I feel 'fat' therefore I must be fat.

Next to each thinking pattern, write an example of how

this thinking pattern is associated with negative body
image thoughts for you.

On the following page is a worksheet to help you

identify more helpful thoughts to practice instead.

DICHOTOMOUS THINKING COUNTER THOUGHT

My body has to be perfect. We all have our flaws.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 WORKSHEET
Balancing our thoughts isn't easy and we may need to spend
some time making an intentional effort before this becomes
more habitual. It will be hard at first but the more you
practice, the easier it becomes.

Unhelpful Thoughts Balanced Thoughts

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 STEP BACK FROM
YOUR THOUGHTS
Sometimes challenging our thoughts can be difficult
and we end up over-identifying with them.

If you find yourself getting caught up in your thoughts,

you may want to practice 'defusion'. This is the process
of noticing your thoughts and letting them go, rather
than buying into them.

Pragmatism Workability Noticing

What do I get for Where does that 'I’m just noticing
buying into that thought leave me that I’m judging
thought? in the long run? myself right now.'

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 DEVLOPING A
HEALTHIER MINDSET
Research suggests that consciously cultivating
self-compassion is an important step towards
developing a positive body image.

Among women higher in Self-compassion is also

dietary restraint, higher self- related to lower levels of
compassion was linked to body concerns,
lower weight gain concern specifically body shame
and self-punishment and appearance-
motives for restrained eating contingent self-worth

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 SELF COMPASSION
Responding to challenges and personal
threats by treating oneself with
nonjudgmental understanding and kindness,
acknowledging distress, and realizing that
pain and struggle are part of the universal
human experience.

Realising
nobody is
Refocus on perfect all of
long term the time
goals of
health/values Flexibility
around food,
Cycle of training and
Self Compassion life

Sitting with
feelings of Kindness &
guilt or shame understanding
with non- about
judgment perceived
flaws

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 FIND IT EASIER TO BE
SELF-CRITICAL?
High self-critics in particular can struggle with developing self-compassion.

Do you resonate with any of the following beliefs?

Positive Beliefs Negative Beliefs

about Self- about Self-
Criticism Compassion

Motivates me It's soft

Helps me get things done I'll let myself go
Toughens me up I'll become complacent
Pushes me to excel I don't know how

Consider whether this is really true:

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 UNDERSTAND
YOUR SELF TALK
When you criticise
yourself, how does it
make you feel?

1 3
What do you
typically criticise
yourself for?
4
What are the

2 consequences of
speaking to yourself
like this?
What sorts of things
do you typically say
about yourself?

WRITE YOUR
ANSWERS HERE

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 UNHELPFUL
THINKING STYLES

Labelling
making global and derogatory
statements about ourselves on the
basis of our behaviour in a specific
situation

'Should'ing
using "should" statements to put
unreasonable demands or
pressure on ourselves

Overgeneralising
taking one negative instance and
concluding that this applies to
everything

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 BALANCE YOUR
CRITICAL JUDGMENTS
Judgments describe how things “should” or
“shouldn’t” be.

Not only do judgments often distract from

reality but they tend to feed emotions such
as anger, guilt, shame that are unhelpful or
inappropriate in the circumstances.

I'm so stupid I'm a failure

I'm
That was useless
awful

I did
I'm so lazy
something
good/bad...

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

PRACTICE NON-
JUDGMENT

Statements of
Preference
“I like...” “I prefer...” or “I wish...”

Statements of
consequences
“This is helpful/harmful for...”
“This is effective/ineffective
for...”

Statements of fact
'This thing happened in this
way, at this time..."

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

I’M LAZY

I DIDN’T GET EVERYTHING

DONE THAT I WANTED TO DO
TODAY AND I SKIPPED MY
WORKOUT
(facts)
NEXT TIME
I WILL...
AND I FEEL ___________,
‘GUILTY’
‘FRUSTRATED WITH MYSELF’
'OVERWHELMED'
(feelings)

BALANCE YOUR
JUDGMENTS HERE

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 COMPASSIONATE
LETTER WRITING
Writing a letter to yourself can be a helpful way of
expressing self-acceptance, understanding, and
compassion.

Research suggests this is an effective way of developing

appreciation for your body.

WRITE YOURSELF A
LETTER FROM THE
PERSPECTIVE OF A
FRIEND WHO IS
LOVING, KIND AND
ACCEPTING. THIS
FRIEND CAN SEE ALL
OF YOUR STRENGTHS
AND WEAKNESSES,
EVEN THE PARTS YOU
MAY THINK ARE
FLAWED.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

Dear...
“I would like you to know that...........”

What would this friend say to remind

you that you are only human?

What would they say when you are

judging your imperfections harshly?

Write what a kind, wise, forgiving friend

might offer as an alternative
perspective to the situation and how
you might think about things
differently.
CRITICISM TO COMPASSION
THOUGHT DIARY
Directly challenge your critical thoughts with a more
compassionate reframe.

What advice What are some

would I give to a other ways of
friend I deeply viewing this
care about who situation that
was thinking and might be more
feeling this realistic, helpful, or
way? kinder to me?

GIVE IT
A GO HERE

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 4
C H A P T E R

BODY IMAGE
BEHAVIOURS

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 BODY CHECKING
There's nothing wrong with looking at yourself
every now and then but there's a big difference
between simply fixing your appearance and
constantly feeling compelled to inspect,
scrutinise and pick at your body.

Purpose:
Seeking reassurance,
motivation, reduction of
uncomfortable emotions

Body Checking:
Outcome:
Self-weighing, staring in
Increased insecurity,
the mirror, pinching body
embarrassment, fear
parts, social comparisons

How often do you:

LOOK IN THE MIRROR PINCH BODY FAT

WEIGH YOURSELF MEASURE BODY PARTS

CHECK YOUR MUSCLES CHECK FOR FAT

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

It's really worth monitoring and addressing
these behaviours.
It's hard to improve your body image if
you're always thinking about how you look.

Step 1: Monitoring

Step 2: Reflection
What are you trying to find out when you check
your body?

Why are you checking yourself so frequently?

Do you think your shape is really changing so

frequently to justify how often you check yourself?

Do you feel better after checking your body?

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 Step 3: Reduction
Reduce Limit

e.g. reducing the e.g., weighing

frequency of yourself only once a
looking at yourself week at a specific
in the mirror day and time

Eliminate Postpone

e.g., stop pinching e.g., allow yourself to

your body fat check or measure
something only at a
certain time of the day

TAKE ACTION

CHOOSE 3 CHECKING BEHAVIOURS YOU

WOULD LIKE TO REDUCE AND MAKE A
PLAN FOR HOW YOU WILL DO THIS.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 SOCIAL COMPARISONS
It’s common to compare our appearance to
others, especially when we’re surrounded
by those who we perceive to look ‘better’,
stronger, or leaner than us.

Whilst this is a natural process, it can be

damaging to our body image and mood.

Excessive focus on
how people look

Neglect for other Constantly thinking

areas of life about your body

It’s often not an accurate comparison

either. We tend to focus on the qualities we
like least about ourselves and compare
these to the best qualities of others.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

01. Who do I tend to compare myself to? What features am I

comparing?

02. How does this make me feel? Is this a good use of my time?

03. How do these comparisons influence my eating behaviours or

reasons for exercise?

04. How might these comparisons be biased?

05. When I'm comparing myself to others, what am I failing to

consider?

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 CLIENT'S REFLECTION:

YOUR REFLECTION:

I intend to shift my focus from comparing

myself with others by doing the following...

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 BODY AVOIDANCE
Self-protection = Self rejection

Rejecting the acceptability of

your body worsens both your
body image and confirms
your fears, in that it becomes
a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Do you avoid any of the following situations?

Looking at yourself in mirrors or seeing yourself
naked
Wearing the clothes you want to wear
Activities that might “mess up” your appearance
Physical contact with other people
Social events where you feel like you’ll be on show
Physical activity that might call attention to your
body’s appearance
Being in photographs or videos

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 STOP HOLDING
YOURSELF BACK
By avoiding certain situations that draw attention to how
we look, we risk missing out on a large part of our lives.

You can learn to face these situations and embrace your

life again.

You can start with those that are easier for you to handle,
and then work your way up to more challenging
situations. This will help you to build your confidence, get
used to the situations, and to challenge your fears.

The avoidance Physical contact

behaviour I will face 70/100
is…

I plan to do this by…

Wearing specific clothes
50/100

Being in photographs
20/100

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 5
C H A P T E R

SELF WORTH

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 HOW IMPORTANT IS
YOUR BODY?
Most people value their appearance to some extent, however
when appearance is overvalued, it can be problematic as it
gets in the way of other important areas of our lives.

Hobbies
4.7%
Career
9.3%

Study
11.2%

Appearance
Relationships 60.7%
14%

Risky
1. List the things that are important to you in how you
judge yourself as a person.
2. Rank the items on your list in terms of relative
importance.
3. Put these items into a pie chart.
4. Examine your pie chart and think about its implications

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

01. When did my appearance become important to me?

02. Is my appearance more important than other areas of my life?

03. What do I neglect in order to focus on my appearance?

04. How do my core values correspond with my investment in my

appearnce?

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

Defining yourself by
your appearance
limits what you are
capable of achieving.
- SHANNON BEER

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

VALUES CLARIFICATION
When we're too caught up in how we
look, it’s helpful to think about who we
want to be and how we want to live.

Your deepest desires for how you want to

Values: act; how you want to treat yourself, or
others, or the world around you.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

Start by describing your values within each
of the four values areas. What are your
expectations from these areas of your life?

Work/Education Leisure

Health Relationships

IMPORTANT NOTES

Your value should not be a specific goal but instead

reflect a way you would like to live your life over
time. What sort of person do you want to be? What
personal strengths or qualities do you want to
develop? What really matters to you deep down?

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

THE WHEEL
of Values
MAKE AN X ON THE
DART BOARD IN EACH 0 = I am far removed from the way I’d like to be
AREA THAT BEST
REPRESENTS WHERE 5 = I am behaving like the person I want to be
YOU STAND TODAY.

s
0 Hea
end lth
Fri 1 &
&

W
ell
ily

be
3
Fam

ing
4

4
wth l
Grosona
Ca

3
Per
ree
r

2
& &
1
Edu &
c atio 0 Funsure
n Lei

NOTES:
 OBSTACLES
IN THE WAY
Do you agree with any of the
following statements?

WORRYING ABOUT MY WEIGHT MAKES IT DIFFICULT

FOR ME TO LIVE A LIFE I VALUE

MY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ABOUT MY BODY

MUST CHANGE BEFORE I CAN TAKE IMPORTANT
STEPS IN MY LIFE

I WILL HAVE BETTER CONTROL OVER MY LIFE IF I CAN

CONTROL NEGATIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT MY BODY

FEELING FAT CAUSES PROBLEMS IN MY LIFE

YOUR REFLECTION:

Write down what stands between you and

living your current life as you want to.

How might you overcome these

obstacles?

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 MAKE A PLAN
Pick a goal that you would like to achieve, with respect to
the value, which would let you know that you are “on track.”

Pick an action that you can engage in daily or weekly that

will lead you to accomplish that goal.

VALUES

GOALS

ACTIONS ACTIONS ACTIONS

TRY TO IDENTIFY AT LEAST ONE VALUE-BASED
ACTION YOU ARE WILLING TO TAKE IN EACH OF THE FOUR
AREAS LISTED BELOW.

WORK/EDUCATION: _______________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
LEISURE: ________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
RELATIONSHIPS: _________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
PERSONAL GROWTH/HEALTH: ______________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 VALUED ACTIVITY
PLANNER
Set aside the time to make it happen!

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Notes S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 6
C H A P T E R

BUILDING STRENGTHS

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 POSITIVE BODY IMAGE
Having a positive body image isn’t about feeling
great every day. It’s about respecting and
appreciating your body, even when you don’t feel
so good. It means that you still go ahead and do
what matters to you, even on your off days.

What people What it

think it is really is

Loving every part Appreciating &

of yourself respecting what
you've got
Feeling great Filtering out
every day unhelpful
influences
Achieved when
you have the Conceptualising
perfect body beauty broadly

It's also more than just an absence of a negative

body image.

Negative

Neutral

Higher self esteem, less weight loss behaviour,

Positive
less disordered eating, fewer depressive symptoms

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 MISCONCEPTIONS
IF I ACCEPT MYSELF,
I'LL BECOME COMPLACENT

Some people fear that if they cultivate a positive

body image, they’ll give up on themselves.

This is not the case.

Those with a positive body image are actually

more likely to take care of themselves.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 People with a positive body image neither
judge, nor ignore their bodies.

It's not about giving up on yourself - it's about

taking care of yourself.

You can still invest in your appearance. The

difference will be in how and why you do it.

Maladaptive Adaptive
Influenced by media Influenced by own values

Rigid behaviours Flexible behaviours

Focus on flawless Focus on health, self care,

image/social status expressing personal style

Takes significant time/energy away Won't take significant time/energy

from important aspects of life away from important aspects of life

Adaptive appearance investment is regularly

engaging in appearance-related self-care that
reflects our unique style and personality.

We do it to express ourselves, rather than

prove ourselves.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 MINDFUL SELF CARE
A set of active, daily behaviours that operationalise what it
means to take care of and appreciate the self.

Healthy Eating Hydration Self-soothing

Supportive friends Exercise Medical care

Challenging cultural messages

Mindfulness Spirituality

Engaging in mindful self care encourages us to sense

and respect the body by being aware of its needs and
regularly engaging in adaptive behaviors to attend to
these needs.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

SELF-CARE
CHECKLIST
TICK THE THINGS YOU'VE
DONE RECENTLY

Allowed my body to rest

Got enough sleep

Stayed hydrated Spent time with family

Daily movement Read a good book

Eaten some veggies Made time for reflection

Cooked my favorite meal Gone on a solo date

Listened to my favourite song Given myself a break

Gone for a walk in nature

NOTES
Expressed my emotions

Explored hobbies outside of

work
Shown compassion for myself
and others

Spent time with friends

Asked for help

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

BODY APPRECIATION
Focusing on what your body can do, rather
than just how it looks, contributes to positive
body image, health and wellbeing.

This study is the first to show

that focusing on body
functionality can improve body
image and reduce self-
objectification in women with
a negative body image

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 So often we are caught up in how we
look that we forget to think about all
of the things our bodies can do.

List all of the thing you

appreciate about your body

Senses Self Care

Communication Health

Physical Capacities Creative Endeavours

WHAT DO THESE FUNCTIONS MEAN TO YOU?

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 WHAT WOULD LIFE BE LIKE
WITHOUT THE FOLLOWING?

Self Care
Senses
Sleeping, showering,
Sights, music, food
cooking, eating

Communication with others Health

Talking, cuddling, sex, Healing from illness,
laughing, kissing, being a growing, breathing
shoulder to cry on

Physical Capacities Creative Endeavours

Walking, stretching, Drawing, singing, writing,
yoga, sports, strength, reading, dancing,
balance photography

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

APPEARANCE COMMENTS
Receiving comments about our bodies from
others can be frustrating. Even compliments,
although well intended, may make us feel more
dissatisfied with our appearance. It teaches us
that it’s important to look a certain way.

01. Reflect on a comment you've received about your appearance.

What was the situation? (Include who, when, where, and what was

said):

02. How did you respond? (Include emotions, thoughts and

behaviours)

03. How would you like to respond in future?

04. Additional thoughts/reflections:

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 CREATE A BODY
POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT

Women's perceptions of and

satisfaction with their bodies are
influenced by their social networks
and the way that women talk with
others about their bodies.

Check List
❏ Identify positive mentors in my life
❏ Surround myself with those
who have similar core values
❏ Limit my time with those who focus on
food talk (e.g., dieting, comparing meal
plans)

❏ Unfollow social media accounts that

make me feel bad
❏ Find a community to participate in

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 7
C H A P T E R

TAKING ACTION

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 IT'S TIME TO MAKE
A PLAN
By reading this workbook, you have taken the
initial steps towards improving your body
image. You have learned more about your
own thoughts, feelings and behaviours. You
now have a lot of different strategies at your
finger tips.

Beginning the work can feel overwhelming -

but simply reading the book is not enough
to make changes. To truly improve how you
feel about your body, you need to put the
worksheets into action.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 PICK A PLACE
TO START
Eliminate the scale for a week to
explore the impact this has on my
mood each day.

Engage in activities that help me

feel more in tune with my body.

Catch myself when making physique

comparisons and think about what I neglect
to consider when objectifying others.

Journal about how my focus on

my appearance interferes with
my mood, social life, or
enjoyment of food.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

01. Take a moment to write down what strategies you

are going to implement, when you will do it, and how

you'll go about it. Don't forget to come back and

reflect on how it helped.

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 SELF MANAGEMENT
PLAN
Working on your body image is a constant process.
Don't be disheartened if you notice yourself slipping
back into old habits - make a plan.

Early warning signs of a set-back.

These are clues you can keep watch
for that indicate you might be
starting to think a little too much
about your appearance again.

Negative thoughts about Checking my

my appearance appearance regularly

Feeling down, anxious or

embarrassed about how I look Withdrawing from others

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 Potential problem situations.
Events that could potentially trigger off
the old vicious cycle of negative body
image thoughts, feelings and
behaviours.

Times of increased stress Meeting new people

Going on a date

Having my photo Pressure at work

taken

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 WRITE YOUR
PLAN
What are my warning What strategies have I
signs? found most useful so far?

1 What positive changes have I made?

2 How is my life better?

3 What could I still work on?

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

 Balance My Engage In Self Care
Thoughts
Continue to treat my
Use a thought diary to body well by nourishing
directly challenge my it, moving regularly and
unhelpful thoughts resting when needed

Negative Body Image

Pops Up
So I remind myself to...

Address My Focus On Other

Behaviours Areas Of My Life
Reduce my body Check in with myself to
checking and expose ensure I'm living in
myself to situations I accordance with my
feel tempted to values, spending time
withdraw from with friends

BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK | SHANNON BEER

M Y N O T E S
 NEED MORE
SUPPORT?
My private health coaching will help you to feel
confident and capable in your body, at peace with
food, and free to fully engage in life again.

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