| - |
Developing an action plan
for a positive body image
A
positive body image means attractive personality
 In today's society, it is not common to praise others openly with all the gray areas related to what is politically correct. At the workplace, things are even worse. With the
harassment charges being leveled in response to totally innocent remarks, most companies are advising employees to simply not talk about anything personal at all. No wonder we feel deprived of positive feedback. Even though we spend significant amounts of money on our appearance, there is no way to know, particularly if you are single (at some point, being single starts to hurt your personality,
self-image, and social standing) and your daily routine is such that the only people you meet during the course of the day are either your colleagues or business associates (customer, suppliers, etc.). The other dimension is the role of media in defining concepts of how we should look. While America continues to get
obese, our
movie stars and models are getting thinner every year. If you are a
teenager, the image presented by the media can put a lot of pressure on you to look like one of the teenage models: something that is not easy for an average
teenager. No wonder so many women, particularly
teenagers, suffer from
low
self-esteem. (Related:
Elle Macpherson vows not to have cosmetic surgery despite low
self esteem)
|
|
So if for any reason you do not feel good about you and you have no one else to give you positive feedback, things only get worse. You start believing everything that you feel and imagine about you even though it may not be true. For example, most of us women feel that we do not have
perfect
bodies, our clothes do not suit us, our hair is messy, we are getting older, our legs are no longer
good looking, and on and on. Since single people meet close friends and family members only during weekends and during the holidays, they get more negative or no feedback and very little positive feedback. No wonder so many people continue to believe that they look horrible and need to do something about it. This phenomenon is so widespread that psychologists call it the "Swiss Cheese Phenomenon." The basic idea of the Swiss Cheese Phenomenon is that positive feedback from others falls through the "holes" in one's body
image, like the holes in Swiss cheese. However, negative feedback, no matter how much rarer, manages to stick. That's why it is difficult to develop a different
attitude towards your body.
(Related article: Plastic
surgery raises self esteem and improves body image but not if it
is a result of other
psychological problems) |
How to change your body image?
You might want to think about
changing your body image by filling the so-called holes in the Swiss cheese. It will require some effort on your part but it will pay off in the long run. Here is a step-wise program to enable you to help yourself.
-
First, try to make an assessment of the degree of Swiss Cheese phenomenon in your life.
-
Keep track of your responses to feedback about your appearance.
-
Do you tend to accept or resist compliments?
-
Do you tolerate others criticizing you about how you look?
-
Do you challenge critical comments?
-
If you realize that you are
stuck in the self-defeating cycle of the Swiss Cheese Phenomenon, make a commitment to change it.
Here are few things that you can do right away without much effort:
-
Try to make friends (finding friends might seem difficult until you make an effort) outside of your business contacts. Make an effort to socialize after work during the week, particularly if you are single and live by yourself. Even a quick drink after work with a friend is a great opportunity.
-
Do not look only at the bad aspects of your body. Look at the good ones too and feel good about them.
-
Do not compare yourself against others; and definitely not against models and movie stars.
-
Age gracefully. Learn to accept it. Make every effort to
stay and look young (read our analysis of
anti-aging
techniques) but there is no reason to feel
depressed because you are old. "Old" is a state of mind and you can change it.
(Related article:
Look
younger with Dr Perricone approach)
-
Take care of your body, always dress well, wear makeup (yes, even
men need to take care of their skin every day), and maintain a
positive attitude towards your body (after all it defines who you are).
(Related article:
Style
to look younger)
-
Say "thank you" after a compliment and give your best smile instead of your natural reaction to deny it.
-
Be around people who support the
lifestyle changes you are making, not ones who reinforce your negative body image. If you are trying to
lose
weight, stay away from people who are not doing anything about it. These people will only discourage it.
-
As you are making a sincere effort to change your reactions, every time you are successful, take note of it so that you can feel good about it.
-
Try
yoga.
A study published in the Psychology of Women Quarterly found
that women who practice yoga have better body image than those
who do
aerobics. (Related:
Yoga wear)
-
Go under the knife. Another
study says that women who do so feel better about themselves and are happy in
their relationships.
Recommended articles: An
easy self esteem program for women Modern
makeup techniques
Plastic surgery
and careers Feminine
women have high self esteem Plastic
surgery and self esteem What
is a good time for plastic surgery?
BBW
self esteem Raising
self esteem by becoming more stylish
Self esteem tips from Hillary Duff
Low self
esteem, cosmetic surgery
Teenager
body esteem
My boyfriend
is always putting me down
Too young for
plastic surgery
How I built my
self esteem
How to be comfortable in my own skin |
