What you need to know
Body image and self esteem is how you think and feel about yourself. People who feel good about themselves and their body are more likely to have a positive body image and outlook on life, and vice versa.
It's really common for teenagers to have a poor body image, this is often because of the world around us, and social media portraying people to be perfect. Disguises such as filters and photo editing lead young people to think/expect others to be perfect; to have perfect skin, be slim, men to have big muscles, to have great clothes, no wrinkles at all and to always be having a great hair day.
This level of expectation is unreasonable and not achievable. Having poor body image will impact your self-esteem and confidence.
- Don't be naïve to filters and photo editing when on social media
- Keep a list of 10 things you like about yourself and remind yourself of these
- Make sure you treat yourself
- Spend time with positive friends and family who encourage and support you
- Ignore your head when it tells you negative things about yourself
- Wear comfortable clothes that you like
- Try and give yourself three comments every day
- If you want to change your body make reasonable and achievable targets to do this
- Don't weigh yourself, weight is just a number
- Be kind to yourself
- Speak to your parents/carers, public health nurse or other professional.
For more information on body image and self esteem please see below: