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Studies in critical public health, such as the work of Carl Cederström and André Spicer, have described the "wellness syndrome"—a state of chronic anxiety where leisure is replaced by optimization, and rest is reframed as laziness. When body positivity is layered on top of this anxiety, the result is a particularly cruel double-bind. You are told to "love your body," but also to "never stop improving it." You are told to "reject diet culture," but also to "track your macros for gut health." This cognitive dissonance leads not to liberation, but to what clinical psychologist Jessica M. Alleva terms "body preoccupation"—an obsessive focus on the body that is the opposite of the neutrality that body positivity originally sought.

Wellness includes mental and emotional health, and the way you speak to yourself matters. Neutralizing your negative body talk is a great first step. Instead of saying "I hate my stomach," try saying, "My stomach allows me to digest my food." Over time, this neutral language can help strip away the shame we’ve been taught to carry. nudistteens pictures