| 1) When you look in the mirror, make yourself find at least one good point for every demerit you give. Become aware of your positives. 2) Decide which of the cultural pressures - glamour, fitness, thinness, media, peer group - prevent you from feeling good about yourself. How about not buying fashion magazines which promote unrealistic body images? 3) Exercise gets high marks when it comes to breeding positive body feelings. It makes us feel better about our appearance, and improves our health and mood. 4) Emphasize your assets. You've got lots. Give yourself credit for positive qualities. If there are some things you want to change, remember self-discovery is a lifelong process. 5) Make friends with the person you see in the mirror. Say, "I like what I see. I like me." Do it until you believe it. 6) Question ads. Instead of saying, "What's wrong with me," say, "What's wrong with this ad?" Write the company. Set your own standards instead of letting the media set them for you. 7) Ditch dieting and don't use the scales. These are two great ways to develop a healthy relationship with your body and weight. Numbers of pounds/ kilos/ grams of fats/ calories are boring. Think of all the time spent worrying put to more productive use- do you really want extra maths in your life?! 8) Challenge size-bigotry and fight size discrimination whenever you can. Don't speak of yourself or others with phrases like "fat slob," "pig out," or "thunder thighs." 9) Be an example to others by taking people seriously for what they say, feel, and do rather than how they look. 10) Accept the fact your body's changing. In teen years, your body is a work in progress. Don't let every new inch or curve throw you off the deep end. You know you are successful when you can look in the mirror and instead of asking, "What's wrong with it," and say, "There's nothing really wrong with me." And little by little you'll find you can stop disliking your body. Quit worrying about what others think of you. If you want to change your body, do it for yourself, and not anyone else. This is the starting point. It is from this new way of looking at a problem that we can begin to feel better about ourselves. Make this the time to accept the natural dimensions of our bodies instead of drastically trying to change them. We can't exchange our bodies for a new one. So the best thing is to find peace with the one we have. Your body is where you're going to be living the rest of your life. Isn't it about time you made it home? hotherapist.org/Index_archives_bodyimage.htm |
| 10 STEPS TO IMPROVING BODY IMAGE |
 |
| Here are some more guidelines (Adapted from BodyLove: Learning to Like Our Looks and Ourselves, Rita Freeman, Ph.D.) that can help you work toward a positive body image: 1. Listen to your body. Eat when you are hungry. 2 .Be realistic about the size you are likely to be based on your genetic and environmental history.. 3. Exercise regularly in an enjoyable way, regardless of size. 4. Expect normal weekly and monthly changes in weight and shape 5. Work towards self acceptance and self forgiveness- be gentle with yourself. 6. Ask for support and encouragement from friends and family when life is stressful. 7. Decide how you wish to spend your energy -- pursuing the "perfect body image" or enjoying family, friends, school and, most importantly, life. Think of it as the three A's.... Attention -- Refers to listening for and responding to internal cues (i.e., hunger, satiety, fatigue). Appreciation -- Refers to appreciating the pleasures your body can provide. Acceptance -- Refers to accepting what is -- instead of longing for what is not. Healthy body weight is the size a person naturally returns to after a long period of both non-compulsive eating* and consistent exercise commensurate with the person' s physical health and condition. We must learn to advocate for ourselves and our children to aspire to a naturally determined size, even though that will often mean confronting misinformed family, friends, and media advertising again and again. *Simply stated, non-compulsive eating means eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are satisfied. This involves being able to distinguish emotional hunger from physical hunger, and satiation from over fullness. For more on this article visit http://www.psychotherapist.org/Index_archives_bodyimage.htm |