Have a Comparison-Free Summer: 5-Day Plan to Beat Body EnvyEsimerkki

The choice is ours. We can spend the season comparing ourselves to others and wishing we had better bodies. Or, we can focus on loving our people and enjoying the warm weather activities together.

We can sweat through our jeans because we don’t like our legs exposed, or we can find shorts that fit and feel free to enjoy those outdoor barbeques.

We can refuse to get in the pool because we don’t look anything like a swimsuit model, or we can choose comfortable swimwear and make memories.

Summer doesn’t have to be a scorcher to your self-image. Incorporate the 3 C’s strategies below, and you can feel a new sense of freedom and confidence this summer.

1. Commit. Maybe you’ve tried to commit to a food or exercise plan to prepare for summer. Why not commit to spending daily time in scripture? This spiritual discipline encourages us to remember who we are in Christ. Knowing our identities are secure in Him helps soothe all our insecurities. Culture’s messages come at us from every direction, dictating what makes a woman beautiful. Reading God’s definitions of beauty reminds us of what’s true.

2. Community. Comparing ourselves to others happens more when we feel alone. Consider taking social media apps off your phone and focusing on real relationships this summer. Scrolling leads to loneliness and discontentment. Consider waiting until you return from vacation to post those pictures so you’re not distracted by what you look like or how others respond. Feeling low in the friendship department? Maybe it’s time to take the initiative and invite someone to coffee or lunch.

3. Choose Healthy Things to Consume. Many of my coaching clients carefully watch their food intake. But what we consume with our eyes can harm our body image more than what we eat. Today you’ll read Psalm 119:37. How many “worthless” things are you looking at? Do pictures of women who are thinner or fitter help you keep your focus on Jesus and his purpose for your life? Or do they distract you and keep you in a prison of body image woe? Also, consider what you’re reading and listening to. Is your media consumption helping you focus on God’s truth? Are you more influenced by health and fitness influencers than you are by scripture? Take some time to evaluate what feeds your heart and mind the most.

The Compared to Who? podcast offers two episodes a week to encourage you on this front. Compared to Who? is a ministry by author and body image coach Heather Creekmore to help Christian women stop comparing and start living. Heather’s books: Compared to Who? and The Burden of Better: How a Comparison Free Life Leads to Joy, Peace, and Rest, may also encourage your body image this summer. Learn more at: www.comparedtowho.me