Asheville Mind & Body

It's been quite a while since I've shared info here! I thought this NPR segment on parenting was very thought-provoking. What do you think??

Want to create a stronger bond with your kids? First relinquish control : Life Kit It may sound counterintuitive, but if you want to take charge as a parent, stop trying to control your child, says psychologist and author Shefali Tsabary. Her new book, "The Parenting Map," lays out a step-by-step guide for creating conscious parent-child relationships.

I find myself talking to SO many clients about breaking the cycle of rumination, or repetitive thoughts. This feels relevant and hopefully helpful to share: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-practice/202107/10-simple-ways-break-free-rumination

10 Simple Ways to Break Free of Rumination When you're ruminating, you need to interrupt the process. Here's how.

So many of us are "languishing" right now...you are not alone. Seeking the light at the end of the tunnel can be helpful as we all move forward. https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/05/04/languishing-pandemic-mental-health?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20210505&utm_term=5364369&utm_campaign=news&utm_id=49659392&orgid=170&utm_att1=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/05/04/languishing-pandemic-mental-health?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20210505&utm_term=5364369&utm_campaign=news&utm_id=49659392&orgid=170&utm_att1=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/05/04/languishing-pandemic-mental-health?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20210505&utm_term=5364369&utm_campaign=news&utm_id=49659392&orgid=170&utm_att1=

Living, But Not Flourishing: The Pandemic-Fueled Feeling Known As 'Languishing' Psychologist Adam Grant calls languishing "the neglected middle child of mental health" in his recent New York Times op-ed.

So much of my work with women involves self-esteem around appearance. This is an important post highlighting the fact that the naked eye sees things differently than a camera lens. Camera lenses distort faces and bodies depending on equipment used. Please read and share!!

I recently did a photoshoot with to get a few new shots for my website. He was geeking out about the the difference in how things look depending on the focal length of the lens, which I found interesting due to how many of my clients experience photos to be one of THE MOST INTENSE body image triggers.

To demonstrate, he took these two photos of my face, and explained how a wide angle lens leads to distortions, which makes faces look kinda weird (L) but also makes bodies look thinner so photographers will sometimes use it to get “more flattering” body shots.

A telephoto lens on the other hand leads to compression, which makes faces look more or less “normal” (R) but has a widening effect which can make bodies look bigger, wider, or fatter. (Notice how much thinner my neck is on the left than on the right? Also I have no ears on the left.)

I found this all fascinating.

Essentially, photos aren’t a perfect representation of how we look, and there are dramatic differences in how we’ll appear depending on the equipment being used.

And yet, so many clients have been triggered by a photo, either hating how it looks (ie: “my arms look huge” or “I look so wide”) or expressing confusion (ie: “I think I looked one way and then I saw a photo and now I feel like I have no idea how I actually look”).

Photos have a way of triggering body hatred and for this exact reason: it shows a different image than our eyes see, and calls into question your own perception of how you look.

Maybe you think you look ok, then you see an “unflattering” photo and realize you were wrong. When we can’t trust our own perceptions, we often dive into obsessive body checking/ministering to figure out the truth. Am I actually fat/big/wide, or no? Am I pretty or do I look weird? Am I ok?

But photos are NOT objective facts, and they don’t capture you the way other people will actually see you.

For example, no matter the angle, my face will never look exactly like *either* of these two photos to the naked human eye.

Did you know this? Have you seen this?

And more importantly, what has your relationship been between body image and photos?