Body Image and Self-Esteem

Body image and Social Media

Social media can be a great way to look at people’s pictures and connect with others, BUT it can also have a huge impact on a person’s self-esteem. The world of social media is not the ‘real world’ there are numerous filters now and ways of changing your picture to how you want it to look. Have you ever looked at a picture on social media and wished you looked a certain way? Has looking at others on social media ever effected your mood in a negative way? Do you find yourself comparing the way you look to the way others look? Does this cause any anxiety or even jealousy? If you are reading this and feel it relates to yourself then this page will help you find ways and tips to build your confidence and be happy within yourself. Being happy within yourself is very important and although it may feel impossible at times, it can be done; you just need to find things that will help you.

It might feel tough but perhaps try cutting down or limiting your screen time/time spent on your phone, or ‘scrolling time’. This may encourage you or give you the time to do other things which you might enjoy and at the same time avoid spending hours comparing yourself to others on social media.

Comparing yourself to others

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” — Theodore Roosevelt

Comparing ourselves to others can be normal to a certain extent, such as ‘her hair looks nice, I might try and do that style’ or ‘I like his trainers’ BUT when it gets to a point where you compare yourself in a negative way such as ‘I wish I looked like that, I hate how I look’, ‘I wish I was pretty as her’, ‘I wish I had bigger muscles’ this can have a detrimental effect on your mental health.

It is important to try and recognise your triggers- when do you feel you compare yourself to people the most? Is it when you are scrolling through social media? Is it when you are out with friends? Is It at school/college? Try and think of the last time you compared yourself to someone and how it made you feel? If you can spot your triggers this may help you; for example, if your triggers mainly come from social media then try and limit the time you use it (easier said than done!) but trying something small like this may help.

Try and think about what makes you- you! What makes you unique? Some of the greatest qualities we have as humans come from the ‘inside’ and social media only represents what is on the ‘outside’ so think about the qualities that make you the person you are, even something simple as being a good friend. It is important for your emotional well-being and self-esteem to try and focus on your positive qualities.

Focus on your ‘likes’

We spend a lot of our time focusing on ‘likes’ on social media and hoping for lots of likes from others for our pictures and our selfies. The most important likes are the ones you give to yourself. Think of the things you like about you. A simple activity such as writing down 3 things you like about your appearance and 3 things you like about your personality and putting these somewhere you can see is a great way of boosting self-esteem. You can change this every week so you think of 3 different things each time.

Take care of your body and mind

Focusing on your health is important for your emotional well-being, feeling better physically will also help you feel better mentally and this in turn will help with boosting your confidence and self-esteem.

Tips for looking after your physical health includes eating well! food will affect your mood! Although we all might love sweets and chocolates, too much processed sugar can affect the way you feel and cause low mood. It is important to treat yourself from time to time but make sure you are eating lots of fruit and vegetables too- perhaps replace that bottle of coke with a bottle of water, replace that pack of sweets with some grapes! You will notice a difference in your mood and energy levels.

Try and be active every day– this doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon every day! It just means keeping your body active for 20-30 minutes each day by doing something simple such as going for a walk, taking the dog for a walk, running, playing football or any other sport which you may like, if you use YouTube you can even do some of the simple exercise which are on there for 30 minutes a day. Exercise release’s ‘feel good’ chemicals into your body which automatically helps towards a positive mind-set and increase in confidence.

As part of taking care of yourself physically make sure you are getting your ZZZ’s! your sleep is a very important part of good mental health, lack of sleep will naturally cause a lack of energy and low mood.

You should be getting at least 8-10 hours of sleep a night. If you are struggling with getting a good night’s sleep perhaps try changing your bedtime routine, instead of scrolling through your phone until you fall asleep try to leave it alone for at least 30 minutes before bed, or you can use it to use an app to help sleep such as Calm, Headspace, Sanvello- these apps all have useful relaxation techniques to help you drift off. If you enjoy reading you can try doing so before bed to help feel relaxed, or perhaps taking a long hot bath before bed; or anything else you may feel will help you feel relaxed. A good sleep will help you feel more energised and boost your mood.

Taking up a new hobby can also boost self-esteem. Perhaps there is something you would like to try/learn but have not done it yet, what are you waiting for? Take up something you feel may boost your self-esteem, simple things such as reading a new book every month, taking up a new after school class, writing in a journal, taking up a new sport, using apps such as headspace to meditate, even something simple such as watching a new movie once a week. Setting a routine and learning new things is a great way of boosting self-esteem.

The most important thing you can do to work on your self-esteem is BELIEVE IN YOURSELF– be happy with who you are, trust in yourself and your unique qualities.