How to Handle a Bad Body-Image Day at School

Some days are harder than others.

You wake up, look in the mirror, and immediately notice everything that bothers you.

Your rib hump.

Your shoulders.

Your waist.

Your back.

The things you normally manage to ignore suddenly feel impossible to ignore.

Before you've even left for school, scoliosis is already on your mind.

Then the day gets worse.

You see your reflection in a window.

Someone takes a picture.

You catch yourself comparing your body to someone else's.

And now it feels like all you can think about is how you look.

If you've had days like this, you're normal.

Every teen with scoliosis has body-image days that feel heavier than others.

The important thing to understand is that a bad body-image day does not mean your body suddenly changed.

Your rib hump didn't become dramatically larger overnight.

Your shoulders didn't suddenly become more uneven.

What usually changed was your focus.

On some days, your brain zooms in on your insecurities.

It notices them more.

It thinks about them more.

It gives them more attention.

And the more attention you give something, the bigger it starts to feel.

That's why a bad body-image day can feel so overwhelming.

You stop seeing yourself.

You start seeing only the things you're worried about.

One of the best things you can do on those days is recognize what's happening.

Instead of thinking:

"I look terrible today."

Try thinking:

"I'm having a bad body-image day today."

Those are very different statements.

One treats the feeling like a fact.

The other recognizes it as a feeling.

And feelings change.

Another thing that helps is refusing to let scoliosis make all of your decisions.

A bad body-image day may make you want to:

Skip the picture.

Skip lunch with friends.

Stay quiet in class.

Avoid activities.

Hide in the background.

Don't.

Those are often the days when you need normal life the most.

The goal isn't to suddenly love every part of your body.

The goal is to keep living even when you're feeling insecure.

Because if you wait until you feel perfectly confident, you'll spend a lot of your life waiting.

Something else worth remembering:

Nobody else knows you're having a bad body-image day.

The thoughts feel huge inside your head.

But your classmates can't hear them.

Your friends can't see them.

Most people are focused on their own lives, not your insecurities.

In fact, someone sitting next to you may be having their own bad body-image day too.

You just don't know it.

That's why it's important to be kind to yourself.

Talk to yourself the way you would talk to a friend.

If your best friend told you they hated the way their back looked, you probably wouldn't agree with them.

You'd remind them of everything else that makes them amazing.

You deserve that same kindness.

Your body-image thoughts are not always accurate.

They're often emotional.

Temporary.

Influenced by stress, anxiety, comparison, and fear.

And they rarely tell the whole story.

So when a bad body-image day shows up at school, try not to panic.

Try not to believe every thought that pops into your head.

And most importantly, try not to let one difficult day convince you that there's something wrong with you.

Because there isn't.

You're having a hard day.

Not a hard life.

And tomorrow may look completely different.