6 ways to deal with ‘warm weather anxiety’

It’s WWA season—WWA meaning “warm weather anxiety". The time of year when temperatures rise, as do worries about having to shed the armor of our clothes in order to stay cool.

As a summer baby (born on the 5th of July), I’ve always preferred summertime clothes over bundling up in sweaters and coats. There’s just a feeling of letting your skin breathe that’s so refreshing after keeping it cloaked for so many months. But that doesn’t mean I’m completely free of body insecurity when the weather heats up and the days grow longer.

Warm weather beckons us to go bare, but it doesn’t mean we have to overstep our own boundaries of personal comfort, no matter what the ads for body hair removal tell us. And now, more than ever, there are countless ways to show up for the summer, feel at ease with your apparel choices, and quell your summer body anxiety.

In this post, I suggest a few ways to:

• approach WWA with compassion,

• find a solution that speaks to your current place in recovery, and

• take back a season that your ED or general body insecurities want so badly to destroy.

Let’s dive in!

Doesn’t that water look so refreshing? Don’t let fear stand in your way.

1. Write down your biggest fears

…and I mean the scariest, nastiest, unimaginable fears that you haven’t shared with anyone, even yourself.

Sit down with a notebook or in front of an open document and try to unearth where these fears come from. To do this, you might ask yourself:

• What am I afraid of?

• Why is this so scary to me?

• Where/when did I learn to be scared of this?

Getting these thoughts out of your head and seeing them with your own eyes may make them a little less scary. Plus, you’ll start getting to the root of your fears, which will help you work through them.

2. Think about what would happen if these fears came true

I’ve dealt with anxiety for about as long as I can remember. A therapist once told me to imagine the worst things that could happen if my anxious thoughts were to come true. I asked, “Wouldn’t this make my anxiety worse? Shouldn’t I try to distract myself instead?”

He replied that thinking about the worst possible scenario might actually do the opposite—it might actually make whatever I’m anxious about seem less scary. Because if the worst actually did come true, how bad would it actually be? And how likely is it to be something I can’t handle?

So how does this relate to our fears around WWA and how it might affect our recovery?

Example: If you don’t feel ready to don a swimsuit in front of other people because you’re worried about what others might think, ask yourself:

• What would happen if you wore a swimsuit in front of other people?

• What would be the worst-case scenario? What would be the best-case scenario?

• What could you possibly gain from this experience in terms of recovery?

You’ll notice toward the end of this thought process, we take a turn toward more positive questioning. That’s because the truth is, you have a lot more to gain than lose from taking this risk of temporary discomfort. You’ll gain:

• cool, refreshing water,

• the feeling of warm sun on your skin, and, best of all,

• a big middle finger to your eating disorder!

3. Try on warm weather clothes without a mirror

Frightening, yes, but also incredibly empowering. Because what’s more important?

• A bathing suit that prevents you from a perpetual wedgie, or

• A bathing suit that is uncomfortable, but at least it covers your “problem areas” (which, by the way, is a bogus term invented by our lovely friends over in diet culture land).

While you’re at it, get rid of all the full-length mirrors in your house, especially if all they do is make you feel bad about yourself.

Personal story

Early on in my recovery, at the same time my nutritionist recommend I toss my bathroom scale, I also tossed any mirrors that were making me feel bad and soaking up too much of my time. Not knowing how I looked all the time, in every outfit was terrifying at first, but now I hardly miss these artificial reflections of myself. Instead, I focus on how I feel in the clothes. In this case, image ignorance is recovery bliss.

4. Practice leaving your house in warm weather clothes

Once you’ve reached your own level of comfort in warm weather clothes, try going outside in them.

This can mean walking around the block, walking around your backyard, or even just standing on your porch or patio for a few moments.

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.

Then open your eyes and ask yourself:

• What does being outside feel like for your body?

  • What are some smells you smell?

  • What are some sensations you feel?

  • (Continue observing this moment using the rest of your senses.)

After a few moments, revisit your list of fears (from exercise #1).

Did any of these fears come true when you went outside in warm weather clothes? Next to each fear, write down what actually happened.

If your fears are more focused on other people and their opinions of you, complete exercise #4 with a loved one who you feel comfortable with and who you know will be supportive of you. Then revisit your fears and write down the reality of the situation when you acted it out in real life.

5. If you feel ready to try on bathing suits…

That’s amazing!

To help you get started in your search for summertime apparel, here’s a list of size-inclusive swimwear brands to help you find the best swimsuit fit for your unique, beautiful body.

6. Come up with a mantra that reminds you how insignificant this moment is

You can carefully take each of the above steps one by one, or maybe you’re more inclined to dive right into the discomfort and rip off the ED band-aid (à la all-in recovery). Regardless of which approach you choose, you may also benefit from a mantra, or a sentence or two you can say to yourself to keep you grounded and cheer you on in scary moments.

You can say this mantra to yourself when you’re not quite sure of your own abilities, or fear is holding you back.

Click here to see examples of these mantras and garner inspiration to write your own.

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When you take a step back from what your ED and your recovery consider to be a monumental task (i.e., wearing a bathing suit in public), it can help you re-center and remind yourself that in the greater narrative of your life, stepping out into the world in less clothing than you’re used to truly is one of the least significant things you’ll ever do.

By assigning less importance to this moment, you’re giving yourself permission to treat it as such.

Your eating disorder and body insecurities make you make these moments a big deal. But by acknowledging their insignificance, you’re finally able to return this power to yourself.

If all else fails, take a few minutes to sit outside in your full body armor of clothing during the hottest part of the day. You might find yourself so uncomfortable, you’ll be carelessly stripping layers away before you know it.

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Pause & Prompt

What it would feel like to have true body freedom this summer…

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Read more…

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