Have you ever felt insecure when looking at photos on social media?
Have you ever avoided posting photos because you felt insecure? Have you ever edited photos to 'fix' something you don't like about your body? If so, here's a bittersweet fact: a lot of people go through this!

Why?

Excessive use of social media can encourage unrealistic comparisons and the creation of unattainable standards of beauty, often distorting the relationship we have with our bodies. Social media pressure can lead to anxiety, depressive symptoms, low self-esteem and even eating disorders.

So it's important to protect our mental health!

Body diversity

Remember that there is no such thing as a 'perfect' body. Standards of beauty vary over time and across cultures and are therefore subjective. All bodies should be respected, regardless of shape, size or colour.

There are many resources available to help us become aware of, accept and empathise with body diversity.

That's why we've included some resources that you may find useful:

• If You Struggle with Body Image, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKfdHzSr-eI&t=138s 
• Dove Patches Beauty is a state of mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ussbOODpOOc
• 10 tips to cope with bad body image days: https://www.sarahherstichlcsw.com/blog/10-tips-to-cope-with-bad-body-image-days

References

Rodgers, R. F., Laveway, K., Campos, P., & de Carvalho, P. H. B. (2023). Body image as a global mental health concern. Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health, 10, e9, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2023.2 

Vandenbosch, L., Fardouly, J., & Tiggemann, M. (2022). Social media and body image: Recent trends and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 101289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.12.002