How to Develop a Positive Self-Image for Teens
Posted: May 13, 2022
Physical self-image is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror and how you think about how you look. When you look in the mirror, your mind makes a mental image of what your body looks like. You see your hair, face, arms, stomach, legs, feet, and all your body parts. Your mind makes an image of all your parts and forms an image of you. From that image, your mind creates thoughts and feelings about your body. Depending on your body image, those thoughts and feelings might be positive or negative. This is how your self-image is formed. Your personal self-image is taken from what you see and how you feel about what you see.
Body image and self-esteem are related to each other because how you see yourself is related to how you feel about yourself. If you have good thoughts about what you see in the mirror, you are going to feel better about yourself. When you feel better about yourself, your self-esteem is higher. It’s common to experience lower self-esteem if you feel sad or angry with how you look. When you compare your body with others, it can create frustrated feelings about how you look. Having a positive body image can help you to have higher self-esteem.
A healthy body image is when you feel happy and comfortable with the way you look. When you look at yourself, you feel content with the way you look. When you think about how you feel, you accept yourself just how you are. A negative body image is when you look at your body and you critique how you look. Not being satisfied with your body and thinking you must be perfect is often associated with having a negative body image. Remember that not everyone is perfect. In fact, no one is perfect. Bodies have imperfections and learning to accept imperfections can lead to having a healthy body image because you will have learned to accept who you are. Loving yourself and your body is a part of establishing self-esteem and a healthy body image.
When you are in a positive environment, it will help you to have a positive body image. Think about your friends and family. If they are positive about how they view you and how they view themselves, you will probably end up feeling better about yourself. Find people in your life, like a group of supportive friends, that can be a good influence on how you feel. Another way to put yourself in a positive environment is to find social media accounts that share messages about self-esteem and healthy body image. By following positive and healthy accounts on social media, you can surround yourself with messages that are uplifting and helpful to you to feel good in your body. Finally, find ways to create your own positive environment in your mind. Look for ways to be kind and gentle with yourself around your body. Start using positive affirmations that help you to feel happy and content with your body.
Hi, I’m Brittany and I’m a Registered Mental Health Intern.
As a therapist, I strive to work from a strength-based approach as it takes individuals a lot of courage and willingness to share their stories. I specialize in providing Trauma-Informed Care, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Emotional Focused Therapy to children, adolescents, adults and couples.
I work with children, teens and adults who are struggling with co-dependency, anxiety, depression, substance use, relationship issues, addiction and trauma.
Learn more about Brittany: https://caringtherapistsofbroward.com/staff/brittany-collins/