Body image and well-being

Having a healthy body image is about respecting yourself and others, realising body image is only one part of who you are and treating your body well. Having a healthy body image means treating ourselves with compassion even when life presents us with challenges. A healthy body image is one of the building blocks which enable us to deal with problems or difficulties in healthy ways.

If you don’t like your body (or a specific part) this can really affect how you feel in general. Negative body image may lead us to compare ourselves to others or feel like we are not good enough. Negative body image and feelings of shame, discomfort or embarrassment in relation to our bodies may spill over into other areas of our life and prevent us from pursuing activities or goals which are important to us. Research indicates that negative body image is linked to the development of eating disorders and other mental health issues including depression, anxiety, alcohol and substance misuse and to higher levels of self-harm and suicidality.

We are inundated with media messages promoting unrealistic beauty standards which can make it difficult to accept and feel happy with our size or shape. It is possible however to become mindful of unhealthy patterns of thinking or negative influences to body image and to choose to lessen our exposure to these. By making a conscious effort to develop healthy habits and an attitude of acceptance towards our bodies, we can greatly improve how we feel about ourselves. 

Having a healthy body image is not about loving how you look all the time or feeling completely happy with every part of your body. It is possible for anyone, regardless of size or shape to develop a healthy body image.  As illustrated in the image below, having a healthy body image is about taking steps to look after the body you have, to reject diet culture and to build a positive support relationship with your body one step at a time.  A healthy body image means accepting how you look most of the time and ensuring that negative thoughts about your body are not holding you back from doing things you want to do or from enjoying your life.

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