Mary brings years of personal recovery experience and a gift for distilling complex emotional work into simple, actionable practices. Her approach isn’t about perfecting your body or even loving it overnight—it’s about reclaiming it as something you live in, feel, and experience rather than something you perform or present.

If you’ve ever had a bad body image day (and honestly, who hasn’t?), struggled to feel at home in your own skin, or caught yourself spiraling in front of the mirror, this conversation is for you.

What to Do When You’re Having a Bad Body Image Day

Bad body image days happen to everyone, especially women navigating a world that constantly ties worth to appearance. Mary shares a powerful mantra that can interrupt the cycle of negative self-talk: Your body is not an image, it’s an experience.

When we focus on how our body looks instead of how it feels, we fall into a pattern called self-objectification—seeing ourselves as an object for others to consume rather than experiencing our body from the inside out.

Practical Steps for Bad Body Image Days:

Instead of asking “Why does my body look like this?” try these compassionate alternatives:

• Ask how your body feels: What does it need right now? Water, movement, rest, or a hug?
• Step away from the mirror: Even if your thoughts are swirling, you can take self-compassionate action
• Shift from performance to presence: Reclaim your body as something you live in, not something you perfect

Heart-Centered Meditation for Body Acceptance

Mary teaches a simple somatic technique called “heart math”—a heart-centered meditation that helps you reconnect with your body through self-compassion rather than criticism.

How to Practice Heart Math Meditation:

1. Take deep, mindful breaths
2. Picture energy flowing in and out of your heart space
3. Focus attention on the area where your heart lies
4. Send compassion to yourself through this heart-centered awareness

This body awareness practice acknowledges that your body is here for you, even on days when you’re struggling with body image. By physically channeling energy into your heart space, you create room for more self-love.

Mary presented this technique at her TEDx talk, “Our Bodies Are Not an Image, They’re an Experience,” demonstrating how powerful this simple practice can be for shifting from self-criticism to self-acceptance.

The Self-Love Question That Changes Everything

When you’re stuck in negative thought patterns or struggling with body image, questions can open up new possibilities. Mary shares her favorite self-love question:

“If I already believed that I am enough, what would I do?”

This question is transformative because it shifts you from a place of proving your worth to choosing actions from a place of love. Many of our daily decisions come from a hidden belief that we’re not enough—that we have to earn love or prove our value.

How This Question Creates Change:

• Would you speak to yourself more kindly?
• Would you rest without guilt?
• Would you stop saying yes to things that drain you?
• Would you tell the truth about what you need?

This isn’t about achieving confidence overnight. It’s about choosing your next best action from a place of self-compassion and watching how that rewires your relationship with yourself.

From Self-Objectification to Body Liberation

Mary’s approach to body image healing is rooted in personal recovery and the understanding that self-love isn’t selfish—it overflows. When you’re more compassionate toward yourself, you naturally have greater capacity for loving others.

Key Takeaways for Body Image Recovery:

• Your body is a vessel that allows you to experience life, not an image to perfect
• Bad body image days are part of being human, especially for women
• Self-compassion is a practice, not a destination
• Small shifts in awareness create lasting change
• You have the power to reclaim your body as an experience

Whether you’re in recovery from disordered eating, struggling with binge eating, or simply trying to be kinder to yourself, this conversation offers gentle tools and a compassionate path forward.

Final Thoughts on Body Image and Self-Love

This episode is a reminder that you don’t have to love your body overnight. Start listening to and being with it. Ask what it needs. Practice the pause. Channel compassion through your heart space. And remember: if you already believed you were enough, what would you do differently today?

Ready to transform your relationship with your body? Please like, share, and subscribe to the Beyond Binge Eating podcast if this conversation resonates with you—and don’t forget to join my newsletter for more content on eating disorder recovery, self-compassion, and healing beyond binge eating.

With warmth,