1. Body Image & Self-Esteem
Health 7

2. Body Image
Your self-concept is also influenced by your thoughts and feelings about your physical appearance.
Almost everyone is concerned about how attractive they are, both to themselves and to others.
Body image is your attitude towards your body – how you think and feel about the way you look, and how you think others perceive you.

3. Healthy Body Image
A healthy body image contributes to a positive self-concept.
When you have a healthy body image, you:
Are comfortable in your own skin
Are happy with the way you look
Feel good about yourself

4. Unhealthy Body Image
An unhealthy body image contributes to a negative self-concept.
When you have an unhealthy body image, you:
Feel ashamed or self-conscious about your body
Feel uncomfortable and awkward in your body
Think your body is disgusting or not good enough
You think you look too fat or too thin
You think you aren’t pretty or handsome
You fixate on changing something about your body

5. Role of the Media The media has a lot to do with unhealthy body image.
We are overwhelmed daily with images of models and celebrities whose bodies do not look like our own.
These people look “perfect”. We feel bad about ourselves because we do not compare.
In many cases, these media images have been photoshopped. In other words, they are fake. What you see has been altered to look better than the original.
Models and celebrities also have access to professionals who style them, and do their hair and makeup.
It is therefore unrealistic to want to look like the people you see on TV or in magazines. They do not represent what is normal or real.

6. How to Improve Your Body Image
Do not compare yourself to images you see in the media; be realistic about your expectations
Focus on the aspects of yourself that you like, including things that have nothing to do with your physical appearance
Find a style that suits you; something that you will be comfortable in and looks good on your body
Avoid listening to other people’s criticisms; surround yourself with people who compliment you and make you feel good about yourself
Make small changes to boost your confidence, like cutting your hair or caring for your skin
Accept yourself for who you are

7. Self-Concept vs. Self-esteem
Recall that self-concept is the mental image you have of yourself.
Self-esteem is thinking well of oneself.
At your age, your thoughts and feelings about yourself change constantly.
When you have good self-esteem, you think well of yourself; you feel proud and confident.
When you do not have good self-esteem, you think poorly of yourself; you feel worthless and insecure.

8. Influence of Others
Other people, especially your family and friends, can affect your self-esteem.
Their opinions and behavior can determine the way you feel.
When they praise or encourage you, they make you feel very good about yourself.
When they put you down or criticize you unfairly, they can make you feel sad and unloved.

9. How can you tell if you have good self-esteem?
You know you have good self- esteem if:
You like the way you are
You like what you do
Sometimes you will have doubts about yourself and your abilities, but you like yourself nonetheless.

10. Self-esteem vs. Conceit
There is a big difference between people with self-esteem and conceit.
If you are conceited, it means that you have an unrealistically high opinion of yourself.
People with self-esteem have confidence in themselves, but they do not boast about their strengths or achievements.
People who are conceited brag constantly. They build themselves up by putting others down.

11. Enhancing Your Self-Esteem
There are certain things you can do to feel better about yourself:
Focus on your strengths
Stop negative thoughts
Learn from experience
Believe in your values
Set goals

12. Focus on your strengths
Everyone has special interests, abilities, or strengths. Think about your positive qualities and do something you are good at.
This will make you feel more confident in yourself.

13. Stop negative thoughts
When you are dealing with a stressful or difficult situation, think positively. Instead of saying to yourself, “I can’t do this”, say “I will figure out a solution.”
How you think about a situation will help you handle it better.

14. Learn from experience
All of your experiences are important – the happy ones, the sad ones, the embarrassments, the disappointments.
Each and every experience will teach you a lesson that you can learn something important from.

15. Believe in your values
If you act on values that you believe in, people will respect you and you will feel good about yourself. If you value kindness and honesty, and act accordingly, people will learn to trust you and count on you for support. You will feel valued and needed in return.

16. Set goals
Think about changes you would like to make to improve your self- esteem. Work on one goal at time. When you achieve a goal, you will feel good about yourself.

17. How can you help others improve their self-esteem?
Just as other people can impact your self-esteem, you also have a positive or negative effect on the people around you.
You can help others feel good about themselves by:
Being friendly to them (i.e. smile, say hello)
Giving a compliment (i.e. “Good job” or “You look nice today”)
Expressing negative feelings in a positive way (i.e. “I have another idea that might work” instead of “That’s a stupid idea”)
Showing them you care (i.e. give a hug, offer to help, do a kind deed)

18. Activities Case Studies Assessing My Self-Esteem Love and the Cabbie
Improving Others’ Self-Esteem

19. Quiz
Wednesday, March 11th , 2015
Multiple choice only

20. Things to Know What is health?
What are the three main types of health?
What is wellness?
Which wellness factors can you control?
Which wellness factors are you not able to control?
What does the word “unique” mean?
What is individuality?
What are some physical characteristics that contribute to our individuality?
What are some personality characteristics that contribute to our individuality?
What is self-concept?
What does it mean to have a positive self- concept?
What does it mean to have a negative self- concept?
Which factors form your self-concept?
What is body image?
What does it mean to have a healthy body image?
What does it mean to have an unhealthy body image?
What role does the media play in body image?
How can you improve your body image?
What is self-esteem?
How is self-esteem different from self-concept?
How can others influence your self-esteem?
How can you tell if you have good self-esteem?
What is the difference between self-esteem and conceit?
What can you do to feel better about yourself?
What can you do to help others feel better about themselves?