Coping with body image issues
Everyone’s relationship with how their body looks and feels is different. If you're struggling with body image, this page has support to help you feel better.
Hair, height, weight, gains… most of us have got something we feel a bit self conscious about. It’s normal to feel crap about your looks from time to time, no matter who you are, what you look like, or what gender you are. Body image is influenced by loads of stuff, including our childhood, the people around us, and the types of bodies we see in the media. And how you feel about your body can impact your mental health and make you feel really low, worthless or alone
We all feel crap about how we look sometimes. No matter who you are, where you’re from, or your gender, the way your body looks can make you feel rubbish.
Body image is how we see or imagine ourselves to look, but sometimes how we think we look doesn’t match up to reality. In recent years, and with the development of social media platforms, selfies, photo filters and fitness ‘challenges’, it can be easy to forget that the perfect body doesn’t exist.
We’ll say that again – the perfect body doesn’t exist. No matter what the scale says, no matter the definition of your muscles, or the hairs on your head, that image of the perfect body in our heads is make believe.
And chasing after it? It can make life pretty tough and sometimes can lead to other mental health issues such as eating disorders, obsessions and anxiety.
Body image can be influenced and distorted by all kinds of things, like how we were brought up, our mood, what we see regularly on the TV, and loads of other stuff.
The way we see our bodies and the way we look can have a huge impact on our mental wellbeing, self-esteem, relationships and even quality of life.
Anyone can struggle with their mental wellbeing because of how they look or feel they look. Our body image can impact our mental wellbeing and it can be difficult to take a step back from negative thoughts and feelings.
It’s not always easy to love every part of our bodies, but once we start to focus on a ‘flaw’, it’s easy for those thoughts to get louder. When it becomes hard to switch off from these negative thoughts it can have a huge impact on our mood and mental health.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their body image, they may feel some of the following:
There are some damaging stereotypes when it comes to body image. The issue is often misunderstood as superficial or vain. It’s not. Dismissing someone’s worries can stop them from talking about how they’re feeling and prevent them from seeking support.
If body image is affecting your behaviour or making it difficult to go about everyday life you should talk to someone about how you feel. That could be a friend or family member, a GP or medical professional or a helpline. You can find places to get tailored support to help you with body image here.
Everyone is different and how we experience body image varies for everyone, but there are a few things that can have an influence on how we see ourselves.
These can include:
Noticing you’re struggling with your body image can be a positive first step in starting to feel better. When you feel ready, there are a few things you can try which can help how you’re feeling:
It can be difficult to talk about body image with your friends, family or a medical professional. Here’s some ways you can start a conversation around how you’re feeling:
