5 Ways to Improve Body Image
From a young age, we are taught to adhere to certain social and cultural standards of beauty in order to be accepted in society. These harmful messages can inevitably lead to poor body image and even eating disorders. Body image issues are becoming more prevalent as unrealistic body ideals are communicated and internalized in younger and younger populations. Cultivating a relationship of acceptance and compassion with your body is vital for eating disorder prevention.
by: Imogen Bylinsky
As we grow, especially during our teenage years, developing a negative relationship with our own body becomes extremely normalized. The internal monologue that is constantly critiquing our own shape can lead to a distorted body image and hyper-fixation on what we tend to “dislike.” Attempting to control our perception of our bodies can be difficult and seem virtually impossible. However, limiting our exposure to unhealthy sources that only feed into negative body image can slowly but progressively shift our mindset to a healthier one.
I spoke with my teenage peers to discuss the most helpful tips that they use as tools to improve their body image. Although this was curated by just teenagers (like myself), I think these tips are versatile and can be used across all age groups.
1. Unfollowing Influencers/Celebrities
Oftentimes, we view influencers and celebrities in an unrealistic light. Every photo they post is often edited to perfection. Because of this misperception, we can often find ourselves comparing our bodies to their virtually unattainable bodies. Additionally, some influencers fail to admit their usage of photoshop and plastic surgery.
Influencers and celebrities deserve an ‘unfollow’ when you feel your self-esteem declining after viewing their posts. Although it may seem difficult to lose a connection to someone you admire, it will teach you to be content with your own body and imperfections. I would also recommend following other accounts that promote body acceptance to have uplifting content within your feed.
2. Setting Social Media Time Limits/Breaks
If you don’t want to make the commitment of a mass unfollowing, I would recommend setting daily time limits for certain apps such as Instagram. This allows you to control your exposure to certain content that causes your self-esteem to drop and allow yourself to gain more headspace and time to focus on yourself and the things you enjoy.
3. Working out
Working out can seem like a slippery slope when it comes to improving body image. However, working out can have its benefits when you attempt it with the right mindset.
Working out should be a part of your day that you enjoy, not purely for cosmetic purposes. If you find yourself working out to change an aspect of your body, such as only sticking to exercises that are appearance focused, I would recommend reorienting yourself and asking these questions:
Does this exercise/specific workout bring me happiness? Will I feel happier when I’m done with this an hour from now? Am I working out to become stronger? Or am I working out to change a part of my body?
In summary, if you really enjoy exercising but are afraid of falling into the trap of using it as a tool to change your body, I would recommend finding a workout plan that is not directed solely on the caloric burn. Exercises such as yoga are extremely beneficial to one’s headspace without the overarching idea of changing one’s body.
4. Wearing Clothes That Make You Feel Good
When specific clothing items are trending, you cannot help but notice them. People are wearing them at school, mannequins are wearing them in the mall, and clothing brands seem to advertise their new selections all over the media.
Oftentimes, this subtle pressure to stay “trendy” can cause some to wear clothing they don’t necessarily feel confident in. To improve your body image and overall self-esteem, just wear what makes you feel confident. It is easier said than done to go against social norms, especially when it comes to clothing, but wearing pieces that don’t make you feel self-conscious will definitely make it easier to get through the day.
5. Build a Support System
Lastly, many external factors can both negatively and positively affect how we perceive our own bodies. It is important to create a support system that fosters body acceptance and supports our individual differences.
This again is not easy to do, but if you find that your friends or family members are making comments about your body or bodies in general (such as imposing standards), you may want to reassess how their comments are impacting you. Sitting down with loved ones and discussing their hurtful comments and how they make you feel can be extremely effective in the journey to loving your own body. It is important to surround yourself with people who love you no matter what size and shape you are.
These tips are not curated to magically cure one’s perception of body image, but this list could potentially help you identify and eliminate external factors that may be hampering you from self-love. The struggle with body image is what many people face, and, as we are our own worst critic, extremely difficult to manage. I hope these tips shed light on any self-esteem issues you may be facing, and hopefully help you identify the factors that could be impacting your body image.
BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™ is proud to offer an array of free and low-cost virtual webinars and resources to help those struggling with eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image concerns. In our Body Acceptance 101: Healing Negative Body Image Webinar, you will learn to identify the behaviors associated with negative body image thoughts, recognize the correlation between our emotions and body image, and understand the difference between body acceptance, neutrality, and body positivity. In our Virtual Body Image Group, you will learn to foster an understanding of how poor body image, lack of sense of self, and low self-esteem impact our identity and make change difficult. Fill out the form below for more information on our body image groups and services.
This post was written by BALANCE blog intern, Imogen Bylinsky.
Imogen is a high school student from New York City with a passion for writing and speaking about mental health issues, specifically eating disorders. Growing up, she became increasingly aware of the stigma and hurtful stereotypes associated with eating disorders. She is interested in majoring in Psychology after taking an “abnormal child psychology” course at Brown University. Alongside with BALANCE, she volunteers with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and Project HEAL, an eating disorder organization. She specifically wants to address how eating disorders are portrayed in the media, pop culture, various races/ethnic groups, and gender. She is excited to be writing for the BALANCE blog!