Self Image and plastic surgery | Body image| Eating disorders
Self image and self esteem
by Carla Valencia
What is self-image?
Self image is:
- How you perceive yourself .
- How you believe other people perceive you.
- An internal feeling that influences how you feel about yourself.
- Learned beleifs about your physical appereance, personality and abilities.
Your self image influences your self esteem and is acquired during childhood. This image can be positive or negative and includes personality, abilities , strengths , weakness, and physical appearance.
How is self- image developed?
Your self-image is developed in your childhood. As a child you were vulnerable to accept false negative judgments from authority figures and internalized the judgments as beliefs. I have designed the following diagram to understand the process of how self image influence your self esteem and confidence . At the top of the diagram I am showing 3 important issues:
- When you were a child your parents, teachers and people with
authority judged you in some way. For example:
“You look like your father”. “You are too
short”, "Too fat", "slow", etc.
As a child you believed all this judgments. You didn't even question them. At that time you couldn't contradict authority. Children are vulnerable to accepting false negative judgments from authority figures even if they put your self esteem down. - As a child you internalized the judgments and created labels for yourself . "I am too short", then you developed a thought on how to act to fit that image: “If I am too short I can't play baseball”. This created in this case a negative self talk . Is natural , you believed what they said is true.
- The real you : The truth is that being short is not an obstacle for playing baseball. Following the example given above : " If I am too short I cannot play baseball" (judgment you received) you internalized this belief because of your compactions with someone else standards. The only reference point you had was other's opinions. All this judgments and criticism created and internal confusion , a negative inner-talk and poor image that influenced your self esteem and confidence.
Self-image diagram
How to improve self image
If when you grow up you receive negative judgments and criticism , your inner talk becomes negative. You end up having a poor self image that creates low self esteem . Poor self image can be the cause of eating disorders, depression, addictions, domestic violence and more.
On the other hand, if you were capable of clarifying all the negative critics and judgment your received you can create a positive self image . How? by accepting who you are , letting go of your past through forgiveness of yourself and others and bulding a positive self esteem and confidence .
To improve your self image you have to start working on you labels and thoughts that create negative beliefs about yourself. Try Improve your self image This program helps you to learn, grow and make positive changes in your life .Make positive changes to create success, good relationships and happiness. .
Music affirmations for self image and self esteem This program is specially designed when you don't have time to sit, relax, and focus on your own improvement. Create greater happiness and success.
Need more help? Visit the Self Esteem shop and find recommended books and products.
"The most influential person who will talk to you all day is you, so you should be very careful about what you say to you!" -- Zig Ziglar
