Improving your Physical Self-image
Nate Brinatte
Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and had any form of dissatisfaction with how you look? Negative body image is relatively common, especially in America. Maintaining a positive body image has been something I have struggled with since high school. I never felt like I understood how I appeared to others. I would constantly compare myself to others, mess with my hair or my clothes to fix my appearance or be worried about what others thought about me. This is what made me interested in learning more about self-image and what steps that someone could take to improve it.
Self-image is like having a mental picture of how you are viewed both by yourself and others. There are three elements that can make up someone’s self-image: First, the way someone thinks of themselves. Second, how someone thinks others perceive them. Third, the way a person would like to be seen. Find more about the dimensions of self-image here. For me personally, I consistently struggle with negative thoughts of how others see me. Specifically, I have often believed that others find me unattractive.
A negative physical self-image like I’ve had from time to time can lead to numerous potential problems including:
Feeling shame or embarrassment
Constant social comparison with negative self-judgement
Lacking confidence
Developing mental health problems like depression
Pursuing unsafe ways of changing the body like unsafe weight loss habits or unsafe use of hormones or supplements to increase muscle
Luckily, there are also many ways for someone to improve their own body image. They mainly focus on changing your cognition; that is, your own thinking of how you are viewed by the world. These can result in changing how you believe others see you, but the real work comes when you learn to embrace kinder thoughts. Here are some tactics that you could try:
Dress in clothing that makes you feel good
Say no to your inner critic
Limit your exposure to social media about physical appearances
List the things that you love about yourself — may be physical but think of other things too!
Surround yourself with supportive people
Avoid comparing yourself to other people
Personally, I have found that changing something simple like the clothes I wear has improved my self-image. I remember wearing a lot of shorts and baggier clothes in high school, but then my mother bought me a pair of slim jeans that made me feel a lot better while wearing them. Now, I go out of my way to make sure that I buy slim jeans at stores because the fit of those clothes makes me feel more comfortable and I like my look more. Another thing that I started to change about what I wear was to wear more color. I used to wear dark jeans and shirts and maybe a Vikings hoodie. I now realize that adding color to what I wear makes me happier. I also learned to enjoy exercise during college. In high school I only exercised because it was part of my football team’s activities — I had to do it. Once I got comfortable going to the gym just because I wanted to, I began to feel a lot better about myself. Exercise was a big part in helping me have more positive thoughts about myself.
However, what helped me might not be something that would help you improve your own self-image. The main point is to understand it can be common to have negative personal thoughts. Knowing though there are tools to be more positive is important and what worked for me may not for you. Instead of going to the gym, you could develop your own hobby that gives you happiness. Instead of changing up your wardrobe, you could try new looks like a new haircut. Psychology tells us that we can separate our negative thoughts from our own reality. Begin seeing yourself as a whole person rather than focusing on a part of your body that may not be perfect.
References
Ackerman, C. E. (2020, Janurary 9). What is Self-Image and How Do We Improve it? Definition + Quotes. Positive Psychology: https://positivepsychology.com/self-image/#:~:text=The%20six%20dimensions%20of%20a,evaluates%20his%20or%20her%20intelligence
Brazier, Y. (2020, October 11). What is body image? Medical News Today: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249190
Ideas For Building A Healthy Self-Image And Improving Self-Esteem. (2019, May 23). Mental Health America: https://www.mhanational.org/blog/ideas-building-healthy-self-image-and-improving-self-esteem
Self-Image: A Powerful Force in your Life . (n.d.). The World Counts: https://www.theworldcounts.com/happiness/how-to-improve-self-image
Weight & Body Image Disorders: Causes, Symptoms & Signs. (n.d.). Eating Disorder Hope: https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/body-image