The Balanced Life, Huntsville Alabama

If I were to ask you the first thought that comes into your head when you think about your body, is it a positive thought or a negative one? Chances are, it’s negative.

Our bodies are capable of incredible things. I don’t just mean the bodies of Olympic gymnasts, champion weight lifters, or those that have conquered Mt. Everest. I mean regular bodies. Your body, my body, the neighbor’s body. Each and every one of us successfully completes incredible feats of science with our bodies every single day. It is with our bodies that we move through space, show love, give comfort, and feel connection. It is with our bodies that we experience life. Yet, despite knowing the incredible things our bodies do for us, we are still their harshest critics. When it comes to statistics, there are some sobering percentages. 40-60% of elementary school girls are concerned about their weight or about becoming “too fat”. By age thirteen, 53% of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen. These issues do not affect just young girls. Approximately 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life. This begs the question; Why?

The answer, as you perhaps suspected, is in large part the negative influence of social media and diet culture. Social media is full of “fit-fluencers” promoting borderline unattainable levels of fitness, diet pills, and “clean” (ie. expensive) eating. Studies show that the more reality television a young girl watches, the more likely she is to find appearance important. Similarly, individuals who consume more mainstream media, place a greater importance on sexiness and overall appearance than those who do not. Unfortunately, in today’s society, it is incredibly difficult to avoid mainstream media. For teens, who are some of the most at risk for body image issues and low self-esteem, social media is a double edged sword. Many teens communicate exclusively through social media platforms. Thus, removing social media cuts them off from their primary source of connection, which increases feelings of loneliness and isolation. The far reaching influence of mainstream media can be a daunting adversary. In light of this comes the second question: What can we do about it?

For this answer we must look close to home. As in our own minds. The way we allow ourselves to think about our bodies plays a huge role in our self esteem. To get control of these automatic negative thoughts, we must remind ourselves of what is true and important. The number on the scale or the size of our jeans is not more important than our mental wellbeing. I once heard someone say that our first automatic thought is the one conditioned by society but the second is who we really are. If your first thought when I mentioned your body was negative, that is societal pressure that has been conditioned into you. It is the second thought that really matters. Make that second thought kind. Get into the habit of positivity. Compliment others; spread kindness, respect, and understanding to those around you. When we get into the habit of being positive and accepting of others, it suddenly becomes much easier to be positive and accepting of ourselves. Find balance in your social media feed. There are countless positive and encouraging pages on Instagram. One of my personal favorites is @thelatestkate. We at The Balanced Life have an Instagram page full of little nuggets of wisdom (*cough*wink*). There is a lot of negativity on social media, but there is positivity too, you just have to be intentional about looking.

Statistically, only 10% of individuals that struggle with an eating disorder seek out professional help. If this is something you struggle with, don’t be afraid to get the help you need. Change can be hard. Breaking habits can be scary. Positivity towards yourself may seem daunting. But you are not alone. Reach out to us today at info@thebalancedlifellc.com and let us walk through the journey to body positivity together.

Sources: https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-body-image

https://now.org/now-foundation/love-your-body/love-your-body-whats-it-all-about/get-the-facts/