Image courtesy of @gracedchin
In honor of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, we feel it’s important to open up a discussion about body image.
The way we feel about our bodies can affect so many aspects of life: our self-esteem, relationships, sexual satisfaction, and academic/work performance. Studies have shown that negative body image can create anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and even increase the risk of suicide.
Body Image
What exactly is body image? It could be described as the story we tell ourselves about our bodies. In short, it is our subjective interpretation - and sometimes a skewed one - of what we look like. If this view becomes overly negative, it can escalate into symptoms of body dysmorphia (imagining or exaggerating a physical imperfection that is unnoticeable to others) or even eating disorders.
What can we do to ensure that the story we tell ourselves about our body is a positive, healthy one?
Body Love
Put simply: balance, appreciation, kindness, and perspective are some key elements needed to create a healthy body story.
Balance - Feed yourself wholesome, healthy foods, but don’t fear indulging once in a while. Exercise to stay strong and happy, not to look a certain way or to feel like you need to control your body. Eat if you’re hungry, rest if you’re tired.
Appreciation - Accept your body for what it has given you. Take time to thank it for the all the things it allows you to do. It allows you to move through this world, to communicate with others, to do important work.
Kindness - You may not always love what you see when you look in the mirror, or when you compare yourself to others’ bodies. Your body, like everyone’s, is perfectly imperfect, constantly changing, and it’s important to be compassionate toward it. Why punish it? It’s your lifetime companion. Seems wise to make friends with it.
Perspective - Try not to become too focused on your one body. There’s a wide world out there that needs you. If you’re feeling negative or insecure, a great way to break that critical self-talk cycle is to help someone else. You as a person are so much more than just your physical appearance.
What do you tell yourself when you see your body in a mirror? Do you feel that you’re seeing yourself clearly? We’d love to know - leave a comment below.