Unrealistic Toxic Beauty And Depression -Chapter Two
BODY IMAGE AND MENTAL HEALTH
The effect of poor body image on mental health goes beyond the occasional negative thoughts in your mind about how you perceive your body image. A study at Bradley hospital found out that people with weight preoccupations or body dysmorphic disorder display higher levels of symptoms for depression and anxiety and they are more likely to have suicidal thoughts. Because of this, part of maintaining mental health involves also maintaining a healthy body image by treating your body with respect and practising self-love.
HOW CAN I HAVE A HEALTHIER BODY IMAGE?
1. Surround yourself with positive friends and family: Unfollow anyone who promotes one body type over another and shames people for their body on social media.
2. Eat and move in a way that makes your brain and your body happy- not as a way to control your body shape.
3. Practice self-care and always remind yourself that you are worthy of love and kindness.
4. STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS.
5. Dress in clothes you like and clothes that fit how you want them to fit.
6. When you have those negative thoughts about your body, think about how what you are feeling and where those thoughts might be coming from. Are you Stressed? Are you anxious?
7. Pursue pleasure in Beauty, avoid the pain: There is nothing wrong with wanting to be beautiful and desirable. Get your hair done, play with make-up, keep your body fit. Beauty only becomes a problem when women feel invisible for not being dolled up 24/7 or hate themselves for not looking like a supermodel or those magazine models whose body features and appearance have been photoshopped.
8. Nourish your soul: I know a lot of smart, accomplished women who worry about their thigh gaps, bow legs, toned fitness instructors who feel flabby and beautiful girls who want plastic surgery to look like their Snapchat filters. Focusing on the body distracts us from our self-development and spiritual growth. When the soul shines, our looks reflect it. There is a saying that goes “you are what you eat” but I will tweak it by saying “you are what you think”. You can shift your focus from hating your body by considering
What can you offer other than your physical body?
What kind of hobbies do you want to make time for?
9. Focus on Individuality: The beauty myth wants us to believe that there is one timeless universal standard of beauty. The truth is beauty is subjective and malleable. The healthier way to feel beautiful is to recognize yourself as an individual. All your talents, interests, traits and your unique physical composition and characteristics (from the way you smile to the way you move) make up who you are. If you are an original and allow people to see you that way, you won’t have to compete with anyone. There are chances, you know someone who is not traditionally beautiful or won't grace the cover of a fashion magazine anytime soon, but they emit this light like sunshine and we are attracted to their warmth. That is the kind of beauty we can’t bottle and sell in our visual world, which is why those qualities are not praised much in the media.
10. Lastly, avoid the Mass Media: The beauty industry knows the best way to stay profitable and that is to keep women sexually insecure, hungry and self-hating. Detrain your brain from viewing beauty as one stagnant form, with social media especially on IG. It is easier than ever to find and follow intelligent women of all different shapes, cultures and backgrounds on Instagram- read books from female authors with complex female heroines, seek out art and films produced by women, support female-owned businesses, avoid accounts that make you feel bad or less. Even though fitness is a beneficial part of my life, I do not follow any fitness accounts on Instagram to avoid the body comparison trap, especially when I don’t feel like exercising, in fact, I hardly do.
CONCLUSION
The media’s representation is only an insignificant population. It is telling us the ways we need to look in a specific way but we are so beautiful in our ways. There is so much beauty from all sizes and all ages and cultures that we need to celebrate. You don’t need to be a specific height or a specific skin tone. We are all allowed to have flaws and stretch marks and pores and acne and hair on our bodies. There are so many beautiful different shapes of noses, eyes, ears and lips. Our body weight fluctuates and that is completely fine to do so. We are all ageing and you are not any less beautiful for having wrinkles and for growing older.
SPEAK UP AND DEMAND.
These companies are nothing without us. We are their source of money. We are the consumers. We shouldn’t underestimate the power we have especially with Social Media. We can demand that these brands use less photoshopping and editing on their models' pictures and products. They should promote the act of embracing our natural selves because Beauty and body positivity teach young girls and women to love themselves in a world that has taught them to hate themselves.
Thank you guys for reading!!!
How has body image affected your Mental Health? Let me know in the comment section or email me at mentalorganic29@gmail.com if you will like to interview for this blog.
With love,
Remy!
Making Your Mental Health a Priority.