006 Hope for Body Image: How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast
Release Date: 06/11/2019
Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast
Episode Summary: Nobody is immune to depression. Even a seasoned neuropsychologist treating patients with a wide range of medical health issues can fall prey to depression. Join me as we shatter myths and offer powerful insights to help defeat depression by addressing the spiritual roots of disease. #replay Quotables from the Episode: If you were at a restaurant having dinner with some folks, if you stretch out your arms, you would be able to reach somebody who's been impacted by depression. If we don't treat this disorder, it truly is a deadly condition. Every year, over 45,000 people die...
info_outline 262 How To Help a Friend Facing CancerYour Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast
Episode Summary: We all want to help. When we hear someone whose been given a devastating diagnosis, we want to try to help make things better. Or, at least make things less bad. But, sometimes, inadvertently, we can say and do things that cause more harm than good. Through my history with cancer and my husband's history with cancer, we've learned a few things. So in this replay of a conversation I had with Amy Connell, I'm going to share some insights that I think you'll find helpful so you can know how best to help a friend with cancer. This episode not only sheds light on the emotional and...
info_outline 261 How Your CORE Strength Can Bring Freedom and Empowerment in Your HealthYour Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast
Episode Summary: In a world bent on touting certain diets and restrictive eating, our guest, Amy Connell, desires we learn about our core strength. After releasing her book Your Worthy Body, written for women over 40, she had moms approach her saying “I need something like this for my daughters!” Her hope is to be a conduit between mom and daughter to help them both foster a healthy relationship with food, exercise and their body so they can grow in their relationship with each other. She does this through her new book Your Core Strength: A Christ-Centered, Diet-Culture-Free book for...
info_outline 260 Hope Amidst Hardship: Breaking the Cycle of Generational PovertyYour Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast
Episode Summary: Some pro-life advocates mistakenly assume that once a pregnant woman has chosen life for her baby, the battle has been won. However, the truth is that for mothers living in poverty, especially generational poverty, the battle has only begun. These women lack resources, support, finances, and hope. While pregnancy centers succeed in leading women to choose life and providing aid through the baby's first year, impoverished mothers are then left to fight a solitary battle for the life of their child every day. Join me with Marisol Maldonado Rodriguez as we talk about hope for...
info_outline 259 What Is Sexual Abuse and Offering Hope for SurvivorsYour Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast
Episode Summary: Join me with Melissa Heiland as we talk about an important but sensitive topic: what is sexual abuse, and how we can offer hope for sexual abuse survivors. In the US, 10% of all children experience some form of sexual abuse before they turn 18. These numbers are likely low since sexual abuse is underreported. The victims are most likely to be female (75%), but these numbers are rapidly changing as boys are increasingly the targets of molesters. A whopping 90% of the children who are abused know their abuser which often points to a family member, teacher, scout...
info_outline 258 How to Hold Onto Faith While Waiting for HealingYour Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast
Episode Summary: Dr. Michelle Bengtson joins David Robison of LifeToday to explore the challenging journey of maintaining faith during periods of waiting for healing. Drawing from her personal struggles and professional insights as a neuropsychologist, Dr. Bengtson shares about the emotional, physical, and spiritual pain that tests our faith. Through her new book, "The Hem of His Garment," she offers hope, encouragement, and practical advice to those navigating the complexities of pain and waiting. Join us as we discuss the importance of pressing into faith, the biblical examples of those who...
info_outline 257 The Truth About Anxiety in Motherhood: How to Overcome Overwhelm and FearYour Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast
Episode Summary: All moms worry, right? Motherhood tempts many moms to worry, especially about the wellbeing of their children. Are they breathing? How can I keep them healthy? What if they don’t make friends at school? But for moms who experience anxiety, worry quickly elevates into debilitating overwhelm, fear, and doubt. This can make normal tasks of motherhood overwhelming and joy-less. Courtney Devich and I share the truth about anxiety in motherhood and how to overcome overwhelm and fear. Quotables from the episode: Many moms believe the adage, “I’m a mom, it’s my...
info_outline 256 Lessons You Can Learn from Broken FriendshipsYour Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast
Episode Summary: Relationship conflict can be difficult. Can good come from broken relationships? How do deal with mutual friends after a breakup? How do we get over the pain of friendships that end? And how does Jesus teach us to be a good friend? Join me with Jessica Van Roekel for Lessons You Can Learn from Broken Friendships. Quotables from the episode: It could be safe to say we become God’s enemy when we harbor the sin of unforgiveness in our heart, which is why we must be careful not to point fingers at our ex-friend. Jesus tells us to take care of the log in our own eye before...
info_outline 255 How to Heal After a Friendship BreakupYour Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast
Episode Summary: The contributors to a friendship breakup are varied and as individual as the parties involved. A spectrum of relationship commitments falls under the umbrella of friendship. Friendships can range from acquaintances, colleagues, familial, casual, close, or intimate. The type of friendship prior to a breakup affects the depth of the wound. Many questions exist around friendship breakups ranging from “why do friendships end?” to “what does this say about me?” and even “what do we need when friendships end?” In the last episode, Jessica Van Roekel and I talked...
info_outline 254 How To Repair a Friendship with Grace to Move from Hurt to HealingYour Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast
Episode Summary: What do you do when your friend walks away from your relationship without explanation or chance for reconciliation? Guilt and shame keep Christian women from talking about it. It’s embarrassing, confusing, and often heartbreaking. In this episode, Jessica Van Roekel and I talk about a common event, that few in Christian circles discuss openly. Misunderstandings happen and disagreements occur even in the healthiest of relationships. In a world that seems to thrive on discord, it can be tempting to run from conflict in a friendship. But conflict can bring about...
info_outlineEpisode Summary:
With summer on its way, you only have to check out at the grocery store to read story after story about how to achieve the perfect bikini body. Comparison is the thief of joy, so looking at those perfect models only serves to make us feel inferior, inadequate, and unworthy. In this episode, we’re discussing the real root behind body image issues, and how to stop comparing yourself to others.
If you’ve ever found yourself comparing your looks or your abilities or your accomplishments, to others, you aren’t alone, and today is the perfect show for you. Today we’re going to be talking about the trap of comparison and how we can find hope despite all the shortcomings we see in ourselves.
In today’s episode, we’re going to talk with Heather Creekmore, author of “Compared to Who: A Proven Path to Improve Your Body Image”. She shares several tips that she has learned for how to stop comparing yourself to others, and helps us understand where to shift our focus and why, as a key to eliminating comparison and body image issues.
Quotables from the episode:
- Stop comparing and start living. Listen how, here.
- If you ever compare yourself to others, or struggle with body image issues, and want to know how to stop comparing yourself to others, this is an episode you’re going to want to listen to.
- We as a culture are trained to believe that body image issues are really about our body, but that just isn’t true.
- We fall for the lie that if we just looked different, we would feel different. The truth is, beauty doesn’t give us freedom, beauty doesn’t give us perfect lives. Only Jesus saves.
- Body image issues are really an idol. It’s a misplaced worship issue…an idolatry issue.
- A daily exercise of confession and repentance brings freedom. So every day it’s a matter of saying, “No, I am not going to bow down to the idol of the mirror or the scale anymore.”
- Comparison feeds body image issues. We look around at others, and compare our imperfections to what we see as perfection in others.
- Comparison and body image issues often start in elementary school or by middle school or high school where we start looking around at others and realizing we are shaped differently than them.
- Beauty is subjective and we all have different ideals of what the most beautiful person looks like. That subjectivity makes the goal of trying to look like them elusive.
- The first step in breaking free of body image issues is seeing that idol, and recognizing it for what it is.
- Rather than looking in the mirror and trying to find something you like about yourself, tilt the mirror up so that rather than focusing on yourself, you see a reflection of Jesus.
- The answer to body image issues isn’t loving yourself more. The answer is loving Jesus more.
- The greatest compliment is when people say they can see Jesus in me.
- Our God is a God of order, of priorities. He does things in a specific order for a specific reason. We need to figure out where our priorities line up with His.
- We all have a sin nature. But there is therefore now no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus. But He wants us to address our sin so we can have hope, joy, and peace.
- Pay attention to what you are feeding your eyes! That can stir up envy, jealousy, low self-esteem in your heart.
- Let’s remember to seek to be more like Jesus, rather than comparing ourselves to others.
Scripture References:
- Galatians 6:4-5 “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.”
- 1 John 1:9 “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
- Romans 8:1 “But there is therefore now no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus.”
- 1 Corinthians 11:1 says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
Recommended Resources:
- “Compared to Who: A Proven Path to Improve Your Body Image”
- “Counterfeit Gods” by Timothy Keller
- “The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness” by Timothy Keller
- https://drmichellebengtson.com/dont-let-comparison-steal-your-joy/
- https://drmichellebengtson.com/4-steps-toward-conquering-comparison/
- https://drmichellebengtson.com/comparison-lies/
- https://drmichellebengtson.com/sting-of-comparison/
- https://drmichellebengtson.com/how-to-overcome-workplace-comparison/
- “Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression” by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award
- “Hope Prevails Bible Study” by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award
Social Media Links for Host and Guest:
Connect with Heather Creekmore:
- Blog: https://comparedtowho.me/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/comparedtowho/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherCreekmoreblog/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ComparedtoWho
- Quiz: https://comparedtowho.me/follow-christian-body-image-help/
For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at:
- To order Hope Prevails: https://drmichellebengtson.com/hope-prevails-book/
- Website: https://drmichellebengtson.com/
- Blog: https://drmichellebengtson.com/blog/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrMichelleBengtson
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrMBengtson (@DrMBengtson)
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmichellebengtson/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmichellebengtson/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/drbhopeprevails/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MichelleBengtson
- Radio Show Host: http://graceandtruthradio.world/shows/your-hope-filled-perspective/
Air Date: May 20, 2019 (week 21)
Guest: Heather Creekmore, author of Compared to Who?
Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson