BODY IMAGE

BODY IMAGE

AND

SELF-ESTEEM

When you look in the mirror, do you like what you see? Women in the U.S. are under pressure to measure up to a certain unrealistic ideal of beauty, which can lead to poor body image. But women are not the only ones affected by this. Many people think of guys as being carefree when it comes to their appearance, but the reality is that a lot of guys spend plenty of time in front of the mirror. In fact, some guys care just as much as girls do about their appearance!
What is body image?

Body image is a person's opinions, thoughts, and feelings about his or her own body and physical appearance. Having a positive body image means feeling pretty satisfied with the way you look, appreciating your body for its capabilities and accepting its imperfections. Body image is part of someone's total self-image. So how you feel about your body can affect how you feel about yourself. If you get too focused on not liking the way you look, your self-esteem and confidence can take a serious blow.

Change Your Body Image Not Your Body

It is important to remember that when you change your body image, you don't change your body, you change the way you think about your body.

Essentials to developing healthy body image include:

· eating healthy

· regular exercise

· plenty of rest

Eating healthy can promote healthy skin and hair, along with strong bones. Exercise has been showed to increase self-esteem, self-image, and energy, plus it’s just good for you. Getting plenty of rest can help with stress management. All of these can make you feel good about your body. The key is learning how to change your attitude about your body, not changing your body or looks. If you’re unhappy with your nose, getting a nose job probably won’t solve your problem. Once you change one part of your body, you might find another part that bothers you. That leads to an endless, painful, and sometimes expensive quest to change your body, piece by piece, instead of accepting the way you look.

What is self-esteem?

While body image is how you see yourself and feel about your body, self-esteem is all about how much we feel valued, loved, accepted, and thought well of by others as a whole, and how much we value, love, and accept ourselves as a whole. People with healthy self-esteem are able to feel good about themselves, appreciate their own worth, and take pride in their abilities, skills, and accomplishments. People with low self-esteem may feel as if no one likes them or accepts them or that they can't do anything right.

Three easy steps to improving your self-esteem

1. Use positive messages to boost your self-esteem. On a piece of paper, write out something like "I like and accept myself just the way I am", "I am the master of my destiny", "I am somebody", "I love myself and I believe in myself." Carry it with you and repeat it several times. If you keep saying positive things about yourself, you’ll start to feel positive about yourself.

2. Surround yourself with positive people. Negative people, who constantly put you and your ideas down, lower your self-esteem. But when you surround yourself with people who appreciate you and your ideas, and who accept and encourage you, your self-esteem will soar.

3. Make a list of your successes. They don’t have to be legendary accomplishments. It can include your "minor victories" like learning to skate or completing a long book. Read your list often. While reviewing it, try remembering that feeling of satisfaction and joy you experienced with your success.