Mental health awareness week Thursday 16th May 2019

A healthy body image means you feel at ease with your appearance and have positive thoughts and feelings about your body.

The opposite is true and can lead to a mental health problem, such as depression or an eating disorder. It can also lead to low self-esteem.

But what causes people to have a negative body image?

Bullying at school for the way you looked.

Being told you’re fat, ugly, skinny.

Seeing perfect images of similar aged people in the media.

Being underweight or overweight.

Help is available to improve your body image –

Don’t avoid your body.

Stop checking the parts of your body you’re unhappy about.

Avoid comparing yourself to others.

Explore your assumptions, for instance, only people with toned up bodies get the partner of their dreams.

Do some problem solving: If you feel bad, is it really about the way you look, or some other reason.

earn to accept yourself – remind yourself of all your strengths, the things you or others like you for.

Professional help is always available –

Samaritans 116 123

NHS 111

NHS Emergency Services 999

Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) 0300 500 6184

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) 01455 883300

Mind 0300 123 3393

Young Minds 0808 802 5544