Body Confidence Week: Finding Your Happy Self

Body Confidence Week was developed in response to a report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Body Image, which highlighted that low body confidence is a critical public health issue, damaging lives and affecting more than 60% of the UK population. Body confidence, low self esteem and other mental health issues that can be developed from this is a massive rising problem in the UK.

With the rise of social media worldwide within the last 10 years, body image and confidence problems have risen drastically. In one hospital in London those being admitted to hospital for eating disorder related issues increased by 360% within the last 9 years! THIS IS A MASSIVE proportion. In the UK it is been advised that 1.6 million people admit to suffering with an eating disorder, but obviously the problem is much higher as there is thousands out there that do not have confidence to admit there is an issue.

What is the key to body confidence?
Having researched, from experience, talking to other individuals who suffer from body image problem, the key is find your happy self. This isn't necessarily just happy with how you look, this covers a wider concept of overall "well-being". Every aspect of your life can affect your body confidence:
- Job
- Friends
- Home Life
- Partner
- Stress Levels
- Illness (common colds - more severe illnesses)
- Body weight
- Body Shape
There are so many factors that can affect your overall body confidence.

This is from a government document on Body Confidence Week:

What causes low body confidence?

While popular culture is a key factor in body confidence, it does not explain why some people sustain resilience and confidence while others do not. There are a range of social, cultural, psychological and biological factors that influence body image – which is why the Body Confidence Campaign seeks to improve resilience and aspiration, as well as acting on harmful cultural messages.
 

Psychological Factors

Low Self-esteem

Depression

Perfectionism

Need for external approval

Body comparison tendencies

Internalisation of body ideals

Appearance schemas

Objectifying the body/embodiment

 

Socio-Cultural Factors: Cultural and social norms

Ideal image of beauty

Importance of meeting the ideal image
 

Transmitted through

Media

Parents

Peers

Professionals

 Communication styles
Pressure to meet the ideal

Teasing and negative commentary

Suggesting ways to meet the ideal

Sexual objectification

Fat talk

Cyber-communication

 

Biological Factors - Genetic influences

Body size and shape

Rate of development

Perceptual distortions

 Pubertal changes
Gender differentiation
Rate of development (breast development, body



As a way of raising awareness of body image problems in public, sport and to help push forward body confidence, I will be participating in body confidence week so keep checking on:
www.facebook.com/jaynenisbetpersonaltraining
www.twitter.co.uk/jaynenisbetPT
www.yourbestversion.co.uk

Jayne x