Compared to Who? Body Image for Christian Women

Today Heather talks with Travis Stewart, a licensed professional counselor and leader in the eating disorder recovery world. Travis and Heather discuss how understanding our core needs and motivations, which some may classify as part of "personality" can help us understand our proclivity toward certain behaviors around food and body. In today's show you'll hear Heather and Travis discuss 9 self-protective strategies along with the 7 core needs of the heart (cased on work done by Mark and Debbie Laaser). See which of these needs resonate most with you and listen as Travis and Heather talk through how these may look in the life of someone struggling with body image and eating issues. 7 Core Needs of the Heart To be Heard and Understood To be Affirmed To be Blessed To be Safe To be Touched To be Chosen To be Included Share your thoughts about this episode: How Personality Connects to Food & Body Issues with Travis Stewart by leaving a review! About Travis Stewart: Travis graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1991 with a degree in advertising and immediately began working with the international ministry of The Navigators, mentoring students. After 8 years, his desire to better understand how people change, and through his own experience of receiving help from a professional counselor, Travis decided to return to school. He earned a Master of Arts in Counseling (2001) and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies (2003), both from Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Travis is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Missouri. Travis has experience with a wide variety of issues which might lead people to seek out professional help. This includes special interest in helping those with compulsive and addictive behaviors such as internet and video game addiction, eating disorders, shopping addiction, and spirituality. Connect with Travis: wtravisstewart.com or reflectiveprayer.com Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What if managing your image was about more than just your body? Have you ever felt yourself trying to manage your personality? Have you ever tried to portray an "image" of yourself that was more like your ideal than perhaps like you were actually wired? Today, Heather explores the world of personality and image. She shares her personal story of feeling like she needed a personality makeover and how she "changed her image" by becoming more out-going, but what she has learned in the decades since. Heather also references a fantastic book on image called, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain. You can learn more about this book here: https://amzn.to/3DBecsX (Amazon affiliate link). Here are some other topics covered in today's episode about personality, body image, and managing every aspect of our image: We talk about the end of character-valued culture and how a culture of personality started in the 1920s. We talk about myth of charismatic leadership – how more charismatic leaders didn’t necessarily have better results at the end of their careers. We discuss ways we may have felt pressure and responsibility to change parts of our personality image that we didn’t think matched our ideal. We briefly cover how many churches are set up for extroverts instead of introverts. We look at how God wired us all differently for His purpose and on purpose. Action: Here are some questions to consider after today's episode: In what ways have you idolized or idealized someone else’s personality? In what ways have you disparaged the way you were wired personality-wise? What if your unique personality is a gift from God equipping you for his purpose in your life? Ready to get free this year and stop stressing over food and your body? Try Christian Body Image Coaching with Heather. Grab an individual, one-on-one coaching appointment or preview appointment here: Christian Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today Heather talks to her Intuitive Eating Coaches — Erin Todd and Char-Lee Haze from the Intuitive Eating for Christian Women podcast — about whether or not you can be “sugar-free” while practicing intuitive eating. Char-Lee lays out a framework for making authentic decisions for our health that are: purposeful, personal, and peaceful. The coaches walk Heather through a journey where she explores with them the science, scripture, and her lived experience come together so that she can make wise, God-honoring decisions for her health and her body. Here are a few other topics covered in today’s show: Should I Go Sugar-Free? Can you tell whether or not a person is healthy from looking at them? But what if you have a strong family history of diabetes? What does being responsible look like? Is the all-or-nothing approach what’s best for our bodies or our mental health? Is there such a thing as sugar addiction? What does gentle nutrition look like around sweets and sugar? Also mentioned in today’s show: Erin, Char-Lee, and Heather are participating in a lent collaboration project with other non-diet dietitians and encouragers in the food and body area. It’s called, “Losing the Lies for Lent.” Learn more and sign up to participate in this 7-week Losing the Lies for Lent journey here: https://www.forkthefoodrules.com/losing-the-lies-for-lent Use promo code: HEATHER to save! Are you ready for body image coaching? If you need one-on-one help to pull you out from where you’re stuck,Heather offers sessions by the hour. On average – coaching clients make great progress in 6-8 weeks. Start by booking just one or two sessions to help you get on the right track. Learn more or book your first session here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

I pray that this month-long series to help you pray for your body image and "Tune in" to God while you tune out the voices of marketers and Diet Culture has made a powerful impact in your life. Today we finish the series with a look at what's next. What should you do if you started feeling freedom? How do you stay on the road to body image freedom without falling back into hold habits and patters of behaving or thinking. Heather gives suggestions today to help you stay on track and stay connected to the only One who can truly heal our body image issues. Some suggestions from today's show to help you keep praying for your body image: Be in the God's Word every single day. This is the only way to renew our mind and change our definitions and cultural programming on topics like beauty and food. Your body image battles are not about your physical body; even models struggle. Instead, they are about what you believe and tell yourself. Only God's word can stop the lies from penetrating our hearts. If you don't know where to start with Bible reading, go to You Version and start with one of Heather's plans. Keep praying for your body image issues everyday. Consider going through last September's 30 days to pray series: Find the episodes here. https://comparedtowho.me/category/30-days-to-pray-for-body-image/ Listen to this series daily again, whenever you need it. Find every episode organized here: https://comparedtowho.me/daily-prayers-for-body-image-issues/ Go through the series again with a friend. Listen and text about what you learned or what God spoke to you each day. Read Heather's books (or read together with a friend and work through discussion questions at the end of each chapter together). Compared to Who? (Body Image Book and Workbook) and The Burden of Better (How to Live a Comparison-Free Life) Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. Episodes release on Tuesdays and Fridays again starting next week. Consider coaching. If you need one-on-one help to pull you out from where you're stuck, Heather offers sessions by the hour. On average - coaching clients make great progress in 6-8 weeks. But, you can start by booking just one or two sessions to help you get on the right track. Learn more or book your first session here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/  Consider getting help if you think you have an eating disorder. Reach out if you need a suggestion for a non-diet dietitian to help you with food issues. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today we pray that God would make us more holy. It sounds like a strange thing to pray for. But, throughout the New Testament we are encouraged to be striving for holiness. There are many things we strive for on this earth--beauty, power, money, success, love of others, acceptance, approval--but striving for these types of worldly treasures leads us to stress and burnout. It's never enough when we're chasing these worldly things. We'll never be satisfied. But, chasing holiness? That's when we have the opportunity to really let God's love, beauty, and light radiate through us. Doesn't God ask us to be more like Jesus and not more like the women we compare ourselves, too? Today, we pray for holiness – that we would crave Godly perfection, not worldly perfection. We also pray that God would give us the desire to want to be more holy and that he would help us grow in holiness so that we can beam with His light and beauty! Action Step and Verse of the Day for Praying for Holiness: Verse: Hebrews 12:14, "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Action step: Listen to the "Hot or Holy" episode from last summer here: https://comparedtowho.me/holy-or-hot-how-to-make-holiness-what-we-really-desire/ Ready to get free this year and stop stressing over food and your body? Try Christian Body Image Coaching with Heather or check out her Christian body image book here. Grab an individual, one-on-one coaching appointment or preview appointment here: Christian Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today we pray to be more loving. There are many ways being more loving can help us overcome body image issues and insecurity, but today we talk about how believing and receiving God's love can help us feel more of that love so that it overflows into the way we love others and the way we treat our bodies. Loving our bodies is something talked about a lot in culture today, but I don't believe the way culture talks about it is helpful. Culture says to flaunt what you have and show your middle finger to anyone who doesn't see it. But, real love thinks about others more than self. Real love is humble. There is a way that we can love our bodies well, biblically. That is being kind to ourselves. Treating our bodies in a gentle and respectful way and speaking kindly to ourselves. Today we pray that we can have that kind of love. Verse of the Day and Action Step to Learn to Be More Loving Towards Body and Others: Verse: 1 John 1:8: There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. Action Step: Watch this video from Andrew Peterson with a song called, "Be Kind to Yourself" Ready to get free this year and stop stressing over food and your body? Try Christian Body Image Coaching with Heather or check out her Christian body image book here. Grab an individual, one-on-one coaching appointment or preview appointment here: Christian Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God gives us so much grace. When we're struggling with issues like body image or insecurity or comparison, his grace is our only cure. As Heather writes in the Burden of Better - she thought that she had a comparison problem, but what she really had was a shallow understanding of grace. If we truly understood all the different ways God's grace was at work in every aspect of our lives, we'd be free from comparison and even body image worry! It's also essential to have a good grip on grace so we can extend grace to others. What Heather often finds in her coaching is that those who have a hard time understanding and accepting God's grace for themselves have an even more difficult time authentically extending grace to others.  Praying for Grace with Ourselves and with Others: Verse of the Day and Action Step Verse of the Day: Ephesians 1:3-8 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[a]predestined us for adoption to sonship[b] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding (NIV) Action Step: Dig into God's word by using a concordance or Googling verses on grace. Read the Burden of Better for  a look at the 4 types of grace and how they can apply to every area of your life in which you may struggle with comparison or comparing yourself or your life to others. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today we're talking about praying for peace with the boundaries of our bodies. One of the hardest aspects of our body image struggles may be accepting the way God made and "sized" our bodies. For some, there's frustration over height or size. For others its frustration over specific body parts. But, either way, recognizing that God made us on purpose, for a purpose, means our bodies were made with intention. Today we pray for the grace to be able to accept our bodies and even thank God for the "boundaries" he placed around the way he made us, physically. We're never commanded to "love" our bodies in the sense of giving our bodies praise and worship that is due to God. But, we are instructed to take care of our bodies and we can be thankful that our bodies are a good gift from God. Think about it, without your body - you aren't you! And, without your body, there's not a lot (that is to say, nothing) you can do here on earth. Today's episode will help shift your perspective on your body to help improve your body image! Praying for Peace with Boundaries of Your Body Verse and Action Step Verse: Psalm 16:6 ESV: The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.  Action step: Start thinking of one thing each day you can thank God for about your body. Thank him for eyes or legs that work or fingers that type fast. Pray and thank him daily for something new each day for the rest of this month. Looking for a great Christian body image workbook? Check out: Compared to Who? Ready to get free this year and stop stressing over food and your body? Try Christian Body Image Coaching with Heather. Learn more about group coaching here: Christian Group Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/body-image-coaching/ Grab an individual, one-on-one coaching appointment or preview appointment here: Christian Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Who doesn't want to be radiant? We all long to shine with a beauty that draws others to us and that those around us would describe as "radiant." While marketers promise that radiance comes from using the right skin care products, cosmetics, and beauty rituals, the Bible tells us that radiance comes from turning our faces to him. So, today in our series where we are praying every day for our body image issues, we're going to pray for this type of radiance. Today we ask God to make us radiant and make us shine with His beauty! Verse: Psalm 34:5: "Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." Action:  Here's a video where you can watch me demonstrate and explain what to do with our mirrors: Mirror Tilt Video:  Watch it here: https://youtu.be/KlYCi3QMj0o Ready to get free this year and stop stressing over food and your body? Try Christian Body ImageCoaching with Heather. Learn more about group coaching here: Christian Group Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/body-image-coaching/ Grab an individual, one-on-one coaching appointment or preview appointment here: Christian Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today we take time during our month-long series where we're praying for your body image issues to pray for a new view of beauty. Why do we feel compelled to try to look a certain way or be a certain "type" of beautiful? It's often because we have defined beauty the way someone else does. We may be defining beauty the way a parent or old boyfriend did. Or, we may be defining beauty the way magazines or Instagram does. But, are we defining beauty the way God does? Does God's definition of beauty even matter to us? Or, are we so sold on our own definitions of beauty--so convinced that we what we believe or "count" as beautiful is actually "beautiful" -that we right off definitions that vary from our own. Today, we explore all of that and more as we pray for a new view of beauty! Today we ask God to help us to want to be beautiful as he has asked us to be beautiful! Praying for a New View of Beauty - Verse and action steps for today: Verse: 1 Peter 3:3-4 “Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” Action: Remind yourself outloud that one of your beauty regiments isn’t what makes you beautiful. Ready to get free this year and stop stressing over food and your body? Try Christian Body ImageCoaching with Heather. Learn more about group coaching here: Christian Group Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/body-image-coaching/ Grab an individual, one-on-one coaching appointment or preview appointment here: Christian Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.