What is a healthy body image?
Body image is how we think and feel about our bodies. A healthy body image means accepting your body and being comfortable with your appearance.
Body image is not just about your weight. It can also include things like comparing how you look with others and how much other people’s opinions about your appearance affect how you feel about yourself.
Why is healthy body image important?
Feeling good about yourself is important for your overall mental health and wellbeing.
Good self-esteem means being confident in who you are, including how you look and feel about your qualities and attributes.
Being comfortable with your body can help with managing your weight. People with a healthy body image can find it easier to eat a healthy diet and have more confidence to participate in physical activity.
What can I do to maintain a healthy body image?
There are many different body shapes and sizes. However, the media can show unrealistic ideas about what bodies should look like. Take notice of how you feel when using social media, and don’t engage with content that makes you feel uncomfortable.
Appreciate all that your body does for you. Feeling grateful for the things your body helps you to do, like expressing yourself, can help you to focus on the good stuff.
Try complimenting others about their skills or things you like about their personality, not just how they look.
Practice being kind to yourself. Speak to and about yourself as you would talk to a friend.
