What happened to my body image while on holidays

I’ve just returned from a five-week trip in Greece, and I want to talk about what happened to my body image.

The first week was a bit of an adjustment… in food, lifestyle, and clothing. For those that have travelled to Greece (or Europe) during Summer, you’ll know that there’s a period where everything is adjusting. Your skin is adjusting to the weather, the sun, the salt water (trust me, the water is different there!), and your body is adjusting to the different food; the ingredients and types of foods, and even the way it’s prepared and cooked. 

So of course there was a period at the start of our trip where I was constantly feeling bloated.

And that made me feel anxious about how I looked because I was bloated and it was summer and I had brought a lot of tight pants and crop tops! For a moment there, my previous body image struggles began to creep in…There was even one night where I cried because I felt that I was so bloated and ugly. When you think about it, that’s pretty silly! I was in arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world (although I might be a bit biassed!) and there I was crying because of my stomach!

Focusing on positive self-talk really helped me. I was there on holidays – I was there to enjoy myself. One thing that really stood out to me was thinking to myself… Imagine in 20, 30, 40, 50 years etc when I look back on this trip, I would hate to say “I wish I spent less time worrying about how I looked” or “That was a good trip, but the whole time I was stressed and anxious about my body... what a waste of time that was!” and I knew if I looked back and had those thoughts I would feel extremely upset, disappointed, and maybe even guilty.

Another thing that helped is the realisation that no one else cares about my body or how I look. I thought about it – everyone is so busy worrying about themselves; I doubt they’d be thinking about my body at all!

Now as I said, I was on that trip with my partner, who I have previously mentioned online and in these blogs how huge of a support he is. During that first week, it was really great to have him to lean on, and we even had a really great conversation about how to help manage these feelings. We came up with a plan to ensure we made the most of our holiday and reminded ourselves why we were there and what was important to us.

There was one other thing that helped me navigate those feelings during that first week…

Now, I know that retail therapy isn’t the answer for everything, but honestly something that made me feel a million times better was buying myself some clothes that not only looked nice, but also felt really comfortable, suited my body, and gave me confidence. I had already planned to shop in Greece anyway (the clothes there are just so different from here!), so it was a great excuse to get it done during that first week.

Now, I know I’m not alone in this experience.

It is so common for us to be so harsh on ourselves about how we look - especially when we’re in a different environment and have expectations about how our experience should be and how we should look. 

So if you’re travelling and you notice that your body image is starting to go down, try these:

• Remind yourself why you’re there and what’s important to you on this trip. (For me, it was the first time my partner and I had been on a holiday together, and especially a holiday since we had both opened our own businesses, so we really needed this break!)

• Wear clothes that make you feel comfortable – it honestly doesn’t matter what everyone else around you is wearing, or what the latest ‘trend’ is, it’s your body!! Treat it nicely and make it comfortable!

• Don’t forget to nourish your body! I know it’s super easy to just not want to eat when we start to feel blah or anxious about our bodies while on holidays, but please don’t stop eating! While food is essential for our brain and body to function, on holidays, the food is also there to be enjoyed, especially if you’re trying food from a different culture!

Experiencing ongoing issues with your body image? 

Check out Butterfly Foundation - they have some great resources online as well as counselling available over message and phone.