Self esteem and body image - are they really related to each other? Are we really dictated to by how we feel about our physical stature when it comes to determining how we see ourselves as people? Is improving your body image the key to building your self esteem?
Self esteem would be how highly (or how lowly) we regard ourselves. If your self esteem is normal, or high, you believe in your potential to be a productive human being. Sure they can see their weaknesses, but they will usually focus on their strengths. You are willing to take full accountability for whatever happens to you. Regardless of our intelligence or physical strength, or lack thereof, you know that you can do something to live a productive life and make the most of what you have.
But looking at the flip side of the coin, people with low self esteem see little to no value in who they are. They do not feel they are in control of what happens to them. They tend to speak and think of themselves in negative ways, and talk about what they cannot do or how unlucky they are. You would be a person who would constantly pin the blame on other people. If your self-esteem is low, you would be someone who thinks that being unhappy is a way of life - the status quo for your everyday existence.
Of course the body is a large part of who we are. With that statement alone, it's easy to see that body image and self esteem are clearly connected to each other. People with low self esteem commonly have a low personal opinion of their bodily structure. The pros are ignored, as they look at the cons of their body structure. Changing this body structure to them would be impossible. What makes things worse, as mentioned, is how they deny the fact that certain parts of their appearance are actually attractive.
When a person is complimented, you can see the above statements ring true. Let us assume a man walks up to a bar and tells the lady next to him she has nice legs. A woman with plenty of self esteem will react to the compliment by thinking, "OK, so it sounds like people think I have nice legs. I should make the most of them by choosing clothes that show them off."
A woman with a below average to low sense of self esteem would either laugh bitterly at the comment or give the gentleman a curt brush-off, thinking he might be trying to "score" with her. Another thing she may think would be "I must be pretty ugly, he said nice things about my legs so he won't have to tell me he can't stand the way I look."
There is also often a connection between distorted body image and self esteem. An example of distorted body image is found in many anorexics, who often believe they are fat when they are actually underweight for their height. And it doesn't matter if they keep getting thinner - they still have a hard time convincing themselves they can be attractive.
A lot of us, however, who are of normal height and weight, think we're fat or ugly when we really aren't. Remember when you were a teenager? Most teenagers have low self esteem at one time or another, and it is very common for teens to believe they are too fat or too skinny, or just plain ugly.
But take a look at those teenage pictures that may be fading - you actually looked quite all right. Sometimes all it takes is maturity or a few years to realize these things. It might be a good idea to start focusing on your strengths as early as now.
What we think when we look in the mirror has a big effect on how we see ourselves and our lives. It's about time to start thinking about those good points and focusing on what you have and can have, rather than dwelling on bad things and allowing poor body image to lead to poor self esteem.
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