Body Confidence: Love Your Whole Body

When it comes to feeling confident about how you look, most of us could use a little positive reinforcement. In a recent AOL Healthy Living poll, we asked: "How do you feel about your body?." Half of respondents told us, "There are a couple of problem areas," while another 39 percent said, "I wish I had more confidence about my appearance." Only 11 percent described their body this way: "I love it!"

No matter how many times others compliment you, do you still feel insecure about your appearance? "Body image is how you see yourself, and people with a poor body image tend to focus only on the body parts they dislike and disregard the ones they find acceptable," says Sabine Wilhem, Ph.D. This feeling, taken to the extreme, is called Body dysmophic disorder (BDD), a mental disorder where the sufferer agonizes over imagined ugliness, says Dr. Wilhelm in her book 'Feeling Good About the Way You Look: A Program for Overcoming Body Image Problems.'

"Being handsome or beautiful doesn't guarantee a good body image," says Dr. Wilhem. She says the way we feel about our bodies can be explained by "a complex mix of environmental and biological factors," including the media, our families and friends and individual brain chemistry.

Get Ready to Start Loving Yourself

Get off the couch. "When other variables are controlled, TV exposure independently increases the odds of becoming overweight by 50% for both men and women," say Jennifer Derenne, M.D., and Eugene Beresin, M.D., the authors of 'Body Image, Media and Eating Disorders,' 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. A study published in the Journal of Homosexuality in 2004 found that reading muscle and fitness magazines correlated with levels of body dissatisfaction in both gay and straight men. A similar study, recently conducted at the University of Missouri-Columbia found that 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 examining (criticizing) your looks. Daily rituals like body hair removal, skin picking (either at blemishes or dry skin), applying and reapplying makeup and other so-called beauty products can add up to hours spent a day or per week. Dr. Wilhem suggests asking "How much is this preoccupation with appearance affecting my life?" Cutting down on these behaviors takes time and practice, but when you begin to spend that time in a less solitary, more meaningful way, such as socializing, you can keep these "beauty rituals" from returning, explains Dr. Wilhelm.

Feed your body. "Real attention to healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle can help people with distorted beliefs about body image," says Evelyn Attia, M.D. and director of the Eating Disorders Research Program at Columbia University. This constructive approach can help the weight-conscious and those with eating disorders feel normal about their eating, and in turn their body image improves.

When you don't feed your body, you skip out on necessary nutrients, and you might actually perpetuating a cycle of low self-esteem. "Dietary restriction leads to a repetitive pattern of self-deprivation, which can result in binging, weight gain, and worsening self-image," say Drs. Derenne and Beresin.

Talk to a therapist. One option is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or counseling that focuses on altering thoughts and behavior patterns to reduce and even control the symptoms of a condition. Certain medications might be beneficial as well.

Love your whole body. "If you over-focus on the negatives (while not recognizing your assets), your self-esteem will be low," says Dr. Wilhelm. "Don't base your entire self-worth on one domain, such as appearance. If you do this, even a tiny scar or a pimple can send you into a crisis." Remember, there are other parts of your life that bring joy. Recognize your strengths and talents -- either creatively, mentally, physically or socially. Then, you can begin to move beyond the surface of your life.

Warning: These will set you off.

Outside turmoil that may make you feel like a letdown, failure or disappointment. Breaking up, losing or starting a job or moving to a new place, can in turn make you feel lower in self-esteem and body image. Find anchor with the positive constants in your life, such as family, friends and hobbies.

source : http://body.aol.com