Body image confidence refers to how a person feels and thinks about their image, and how they think they are perceived by others. Having poor body image confidence is sometimes confused with body dysmorphia disorder but they are different conditions.
Body dysmorphia is a mental health condition where people obsess over imagined faults or flaws, focusing on these specific areas.
Poor body image confidence whilst not diagnosed as a mental health condition, can lead to developing one. People who suffer with it can have a negative perception about their entire physical appearance.
People who have a positive body image are generally confident and happy in social situations, but people who have a negative body image, lack confidence and often feel self-conscious about how they look and struggle in social settings.
Potential causes of poor body image
The reason someone suffers from negative or distressing feelings and emotions about their body image, can be both complex and unique to that person. However, there are several factors that are believed could contribute to its development.
Past trauma or abuse
According to research there are links between having suffered childhood trauma or abuse and body dysmorphic disorder so it’s possible that it could also result in poor body image confidence. If you have suffered from trauma, or physical or emotional abuse at any age it can affect both your confidence and self-esteem as well as your feelings of self-worth
Long-term health conditions
Having a long-term physical or mental health condition can prevent people from meeting their own expectations of how they should look, especially if they have visible scars or limb loss.
Social media
Social media is full of seemingly perfect images, which are often edited or altered, but reinforce what we think is a perfect ideal. This can lead to people trying to alter their image to fit these unrealistic and unachievable goals, whilst negatively affecting their body image confidence.
Societal influences
How our family and friends talk about their own image and how they feel about it, can affect how people feel about their own image. Young people in particular can feel pressure from their peers to attain impossible standards that they see on social media, which can result in them developing low self-esteem
Environmental and educational influences
Factors such as family upbringing, if you were criticised for how you looked or your weight as a child can have a serious affect on your body image in later life. A lack of diversity in education where the portrayal of a healthy or ideal body image may not always be reflective of the variety of ideals held by everyone else. If you have suffered any kind of discrimination due to race, gender or sexual orientation.
Cultural differences
There are many different cultures around the world and they often have different ideas on the definition of beauty and the desired body image. Research has shown that people who live in more affluent places can often feel more pressured to attain this “ideal image” possibly because they also have greater access to social media and the unrealistic images it contains.
Signs that you may have poor body image confidence
Having a negative body image can have an impact on your mental health, signs that you may be struggling with image confidence can include:-
- Constantly seeking reassurance from friends and family about your appearance
- It prevents you from doing things you enjoy like going on holiday or playing sports or going to events
- Feeling self-conscious eating in front of other people
- Not socialising as much as you used to do
- Find yourself avoiding going swimming or using communal changing rooms when clothes shopping
- Problems concentrating or focusing on important things like studying or work
- Feeling like you can’t wear the clothes you want to or you spend a long time getting dressed as you are constantly checking yourself in the mirror
- You feel like you can’t be the person that you want to be
Associated risks of poor body image confidence
People who suffer from poor body image confidence can also suffer from anxiety, depression and self-harm, and in extreme cases they may also have suicidal thoughts or attempt to take their own life.
They can have problems with dieting or exercising excessively, which can cause health problems. Some people can develop eating disorders like anorexia, binge eating or bulimia.
It can also have an effect on their self-esteem which can lead to feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy. They can become socially withdrawn or isolated and struggle with the intimate side of their personal relationships because of their insecurities.
Substance misuse can also become an issue if they turn to alcohol or drugs in order to cope with their body image concerns. They could also become the victim of bullying if they don’t fit the societal standards of the ideal image. Some people with poor body image confidence can go on to develop (BDD) body dysmorphic disorder.
How to Increase your body image confidence
There are ways you can help yourself to feel more positive about your body image confidence. Whilst improving and building your confidence won’t happen overnight, and will take time and focus, think of it like you would a muscle that you need to exercise. For instance you could try the following:
- Treat your body with respect and focus on self-care by maintaining a healthy balanced diet and taking regular exercise, but do this because it makes you feel healthy and happy, and not as a way to control your body
- Wear clothes that you like and feel comfortable in, that make you feel good about yourself and that fit you now
- Spend time with people that are non-judgmental and like or love you for who you are
- Try not to judge other people on their appearance as this will help you to be less judgemental and compassionate about how you judge your own appearance
- If you do find yourself judging their appearance then ask yourself if there are any other qualities or positives you could look for instead
- Think of something positive about yourself that makes you feel good and write it down, then put it on mirrors around the house to encourage yourself to replace negative thoughts with positive ones
- Be conscious of the language you use around people about our bodies, and the harm it could potentially cause. Don’t forget that nearly all of us will have negative thoughts about how we look on occasion, you may even find that they admire a feature that you dislike about yourself
- Be aware of images in the media or on social media and how they make you feel when you see them, and ensure that you avoid or delete apps on social media that make you feel negative or self-conscious about your appearance
- Focus on modelling positive self-talk by being kind to yourself and try to speak kindly to other people
- Write yourself a list of the positive things about the parts of your body that you dislike or struggle with
- If you find yourself having negative thoughts about your body and appearance, stop for a moment and ask yourself if there is anything going on in your life that is challenging, or making you feel anxious or stressed. Then think about what you would say to someone you know if they were in the same situation, and then follow your own advice
Professional help
If you are struggling with your mental health because of your body image confidence even after trying to improve it, you should consider seeing your doctor. If you are struggling with conditions such as anxiety, depression or stress then your doctor can prescribe you antianxiety or antidepressant medication. They could also refer you to a mental health professional, to help you work on improving your body image confidence with the help of therapy. CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is an effective therapy for improving self-esteem and body confidence. It helps people to identify negative thoughts and behaviours as well as how to challenge their distorted perceptions of their body image. Written by Jan, Jeana and Wendy at Barnsley Hypnosis and Counselling (UK). For more free Information click above link.
