Research Question 1B: Qualitative analysis

Research Question 1B asks about participants’ perceptions of and experiences with body-related self-compassion, as well as the relationships between self-

compassion, body-related self-compassion, and eating disorder symptoms. Table 8 (Appendix A) summarizes the themes and codes that emerged from qualitative data based on the fourteen participants in the interview portion of the study.

3.5.1. How to use body-related self-compassion

Regarding the question of how to use body-related self-compassion, the themes that were identified were identical to those identified for general self-compassion. They were: (1) Thinking Positively, (2) Acceptance, and (3) Self-Care. Comments for these three themes, respectively, included:

• Even if you weren’t like a really thin girl, you could be like, “Ok, even though I’m not that skinny, I have a lot of muscles.” (Theme: Thinking Positively) • I was just like, I have to accept my body how it is. And I can still make it look

good even though I don’t have really long legs. (Theme: Acceptance) • Knowing that, as long as you’re healthy and you’re happy, like that’s all that

really matters. Like yes, you could exercise more, if you wanted to, but… Your body is your body. Every single cell is fighting to keep you alive, and they always are. So it’s important to care for it. (Theme: Self-Care)

Within these themes that were identical to those identified with general self- compassion, participants identified some unique codes for body-related self- compassion. Under the theme of Acceptance, they discussed the importance of

balanced eating (n = 3). They explained that being overly restrictive or disciplined with

one’s eating habits is unrealistic and unhelpful because it sets one up for failure. Instead, one should strive to be accepting toward imperfect eating habits. Comments included:

• Yesturday I ate a waffle, and I was getting so upset about it. I was like, “I need to go to the gym. I ate too many calories.” But then I was like, “Why am I getting upset at myself for eating a different way than I planned?” Like, I should have a cheat day! If I want a waffle, I should have that stupid waffle! [Laughter.]

• I’m like “You are healthy. You eat healthy. You are allowed to every once in a while have things that you enjoy.”

Also under the theme of Acceptance, participants talked about the beauty of

different body types (n = 6). They explained that no two bodies are alike, and being

different from others can have its own benefits. They also believed that different body types contribute to a diverse and varied population of people. Comments included:

• With self-compassion, I could have more faith in myself and be like, this is who I am. If everybody was the same, then it would just be one boring world. Everybody has to be different, and this is who I was chosen to be. • Oh that’s the beauty of it all! Like, everyone is so different.

• There’s really nothing you can do about the way you were made. You just have to learn how to like, accept that some things might be a little different. But like, the things that are different also make you unique. And you might stand out more to the judges that way.

A unique code under the theme of Positive Thinking was the need to scrutinize

media (n = 3). Participants explained that it is important to be aware that media images

of female bodies are not representative of the average female body, and one should be mindful about this when viewing media images. Comments included:

Self-compassion could help you be more aware of like advertisements and what they’re saying. Like I never realized it before, but most people in the real world are not as skinny as the people on TV. There’s a lot of people out there who have a normal body size.

• Whatever you see in the media isn’t accurate. It’s not good. You shouldn’t try to follow that.

• I think it’s kind of, like, ignoring what social media or what you see in public. Because like, models are, like, long skinny legs, and shiny, and their boobs and butts are perfect. But in reality, if you don’t have a good personal trainer, or your body shape was just not born that way, you’ll never look like that.

3.5.2. Barriers to body-related self-compassion

All of the participants (n = 14) agreed that having body-related self-compassion could be helpful in preventing and treating body image issues and disordered eating. However, several participants identified barriers to body-related self-compassion. In particular, and similar to the theme identified for general self-compassion, all participants mentioned the Emotional Barrier of having negative feelings towards oneself (n = 14).

They explained that it is difficult to have compassion towards one’s body when confronted with one’s body flaws or when experiencing a situation that provokes negative feelings about one’s body. For example, one comment was:

• When I see pictures of myself, I hate that. I’ll be smiling for the picture and feel like I’m looking good, but then I’ll look at the picture and be like, “Oh, my arms look really big,” or something like that. And then it’s hard to feel good about myself or be nice to myself when I see that.

A unique code identified as a barrier to body-related self-compassion was that in some cases, the desire to be thin is too strong (n = 3). Participants explained that at times, it is difficult to accept one’s body or to acknowledge positive aspects of one’s body because the desire to be thin overpowers or undermines such thoughts. Comments included:

• I think sometimes self-compassion might not work for negative body image. Let’s say someone is like, “Ugh, I’m so fat,” and you say to them, “No, you’re fine.” But like, some people don’t say any of that positive stuff to themselves. They just keep wishing their body was different.

• I remember being told, “You’re not going to be like everyone else, but you should just love yourself how you are.” And I was like, “Phh, yeah ok. But I want to be skinny.

Similar to the barrier identified for general self-compassion, participants identified Age as a barrier and referred specifically to puberty (n = 3). They explained that the physical changes associated with puberty led them to feel dissatisfied with their body, thus making it more difficult to be kind and accepting toward one’s body. This is presumably because puberty involves increased fat deposits and the emergence of breasts and broader hips, which moves females away from the slender ideal sought in ballet and figure skating. Comments included:

• When I was younger, I used to have more confidence. I used to be able to talk to people more, because I was skinny. And then when puberty hit, my fat deposited differently in my body, and my metabolism slowed and stuff. Now it’s harder to have self-love.

• When I was younger, like 12, when I was going through puberty and getting hips and boobs and stuff, that was really hard. And it was hard to feel good about myself.