Appearance and Mental Health: How are They Connected?
Body image and self-esteem start in the mind, not in the mirror. They can change the way you understand your value and worth. Healthy body image and self-esteem are a big part of well-being.
What is a body image?
Body image is mental and emotional: it’s both the mental picture that you have of your body and the way you feel about your body when you look in a mirror.
Healthy body image is more than simply tolerating what you look like or “not disliking” yourself. A healthy body image means that you truly accept and like the way you look right now and aren’t trying to change your body to fit the way you think you should look.
It means recognizing the individual qualities and strengths that make you feel good about yourself beyond weight, shape, or appearance and resisting the pressure to strive for the myth of the “perfect” body that you see in the media, online, in your communities.
Self-esteem is how you value and respect yourself as a person — it is the opinion that you have of yourself inside and out.
Self-esteem impacts how you take care of yourself, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
Self-esteem is about your whole self, not just your body.
When you have good self-esteem, you value yourself, and you know that you deserve good care and respect — from yourself and from others.
You can appreciate and celebrate your strengths and your abilities, and you don’t put yourself down if you make a mistake.
Good self-esteem means that you still feel like you’re good enough even when you’re dealing with difficult feelings or situations.
Although body image concerns are not a mental health condition in themselves, they can be a risk factor for mental health problems such as poorer quality of life, psychological distress, and unhealthy behaviors including eating disorders.
Why do body image and self-esteem matter?
Body image and self-esteem directly influence each other — and your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. If you don’t like your body (or a part of your body), it’s hard to feel good about your whole self.
The reverse is also true: if you don’t value yourself, it’s hard to notice the good things and give your body the respect it deserves.
Good body image, self-esteem, and mental health are not about making yourself feel happy all the time. They are really about respecting yourself and others, thinking realistically, and taking action to cope with problems or difficulties in healthy ways.
Self-test: Self-esteem
Please use horizontal scroll to see the table completely in mobile.
| strongly agree | agree | disagree | strongly disagree | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On the whole, I am satisfied with myself. | 3pt | 2pt | 1pt | 0pt |
| At times, I think I am no good at all. | 0pt | 1pt | 2pt | 3pt |
| I feel that I have a number of good qualities. | 3pt | 2pt | 1pt | 0pt |
| I am able to do things as well as most other people. | 3pt | 2pt | 1pt | 0pt |
| I feel I do not have much to be proud of. | 0pt | 1pt | 2pt | 3pt |
| I certainly feel useless at times. | 0pt | 1pt | 2pt | 3pt |
| I feel that I’m a person of worth, at least on an equal plane with others. | 3pt | 2pt | 1pt | 0pt |
| I wish I could have more respect for myself. | 0pt | 1pt | 2pt | 3pt |
| All in all, I tend to feel that I am a failure. | 0pt | 1pt | 2pt | 3pt |
| I take a positive attitude toward myself. | 3pt | 2pt | 1pt | 0pt |
Add up the number of points in each response you circled. The higher the number, the higher your self-esteem.
The problem with negative thinking and feelings is that once people start to focus on shortcomings or problems in one area or one situation, it becomes very easy to only see problems in many other areas or situations. Negative thinking has a way of leading to more negative thinking.
How can I encourage a healthier body image?
- Treat your body with respect.
- Eat well-balanced meals and exercise because it makes you feel good and strong, not as a way to control your body.
- Notice when you judge yourself or others based on weight, shape, or size. Ask yourself if there are any other qualities you could look for when those thoughts come up.
- Dress in a way that makes you feel good about yourself, in clothes that fit you now.
- Find a short message that helps you feel good about yourself and write it on mirrors around your home to remind you to replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
- Surround yourself with positive friends and family who recognize your uniqueness and like you just as you are.
- Be aware of how you talk about your body with family and friends. Do you often seek reassurance or validation from others to feel good about yourself? Do you often focus only on physical appearances?
- Remember that everyone has challenges with their body image at times. When you talk with friends, you might discover that someone else wishes they had a feature you think is undesirable.
- Write a list of the positive benefits of the body part or feature you don’t like or struggle to accept.
- The next time you notice yourself having negative thoughts about your body and appearance, take a minute to think about what’s going on in your life.
- Are you feeling stressed out, anxious, or low? Are you facing challenges in other parts of your life? When negative thoughts come up, think about what you’d tell a friend if they were in a similar situation and then take your own advice.
- Be mindful of messages you hear and see in the media and how those messages inform the way people feel about the way they look. Recognize and challenge those stereotypes!
If you need urgent advice for free, get in touch with us here.