Do You Have Good Body Image?

How well do you accept compliments? Are you able to say thank you or do you put yourself down after receiving a compliment?

Do you find that no matter how many times others compliment you, do you still feel insecure about your appearance? How you see yourself is considered "Body Image". People that have poor body image focus only on the body parts they dislike and disregard the ones they like.

Someone considered beautiful or handsome doesn't necessarily guarantee they have a good body image. The way we feel about our bodies can be caused by a mix of environmental, biological factors, the media, our families, friends and individual brain chemistry.

How To Love Yourself;

Limit TV
According to Jennifer Derenne, M.D., and Eugene Beresin, M.D., the authors of 'Body Image, Media and Eating Disorders,' "TV exposure independently increases the odds of becoming overweight by 50% for both men and women,"from the May/June 2006 Academic Psychiatry journal. And it's not just how much TV we're watching, it's also what we're watching. "Specifically, rates of exposure to soap operas, movies and music videos were associated with higher rates of body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness."

Put down that magazine.
All women, regardless of weight, shape or age, reported a drop in their level of satisfaction with their own bodies after viewing pictures of models in magazine ads for just three minutes.

Reduce time spent criticizing yourself
Spending too much time focusing on that blemish or scar creates negative thoughts. Instead focus on the parts of your body that you do like...your eyes, your hair, your smile.

Love your whole body. If you only focus on the negatives and don't recognize your assets, you will have low self esteem. You simply cannot base your whole self worth on that pimple or scar or some extra weight.

Focus on other parts of your life that bring you happiness. Acknowledge your strengths and talents.

Feed your body
Start eating healthy and create a more healthy lifestyle. This can help people with distorted beliefs about body image.

If you don't feed your body, you skip out on necessary nutrients, and you might actually create a cycle of low self-esteem. Binging which can lead to weight gain and then worsening self image.