WEBVTT 00:00:16.369 --> 00:00:20.629 Good afternoon everybody. It is 3 p .m. How are 00:00:20.629 --> 00:00:24.969 you guys doing today? I covered dieting for weight 00:00:24.969 --> 00:00:28.510 loss the other day and I also covered BMI. And 00:00:28.510 --> 00:00:33.030 I wanted to make sure that we have a good understanding 00:00:33.030 --> 00:00:36.310 of what I'm talking about when I say you're caring 00:00:36.310 --> 00:00:39.109 for your body, okay? When I say you're caring 00:00:39.109 --> 00:00:40.689 for your body, that means you're also thinking 00:00:40.689 --> 00:00:43.490 about how you look. Not just how you look in 00:00:43.490 --> 00:00:46.460 the mirror or how you think you look. You also 00:00:46.460 --> 00:00:49.240 have to consider other people's viewpoints as 00:00:49.240 --> 00:00:51.899 to how you look to them, okay? Just because you 00:00:51.899 --> 00:00:53.679 think you look fat doesn't mean you actually 00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:57.159 are, okay? So today I'm going to go ahead and 00:00:57.159 --> 00:01:02.159 cover positive body image, okay? Every day we're, 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:04.840 you know, we are bombarded with images of perfection, 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:07.379 perfect lives, perfect bodies, perfect children. 00:01:07.579 --> 00:01:10.859 I don't like that last one. All held up for inspection 00:01:10.859 --> 00:01:14.180 via social media, which, by the way, I don't 00:01:14.180 --> 00:01:17.239 really care much for. because it can be used 00:01:17.239 --> 00:01:19.719 in a lot of negative connotations. These images 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:22.840 are hard to live up to, so perhaps it is no wonder 00:01:22.840 --> 00:01:25.299 that charities warn the mental health problems 00:01:25.299 --> 00:01:30.819 are rising, especially among young people. It 00:01:30.819 --> 00:01:33.219 is, however, possible to take steps to protect 00:01:33.219 --> 00:01:34.920 yourself against the onslaught of perfection. 00:01:36.239 --> 00:01:39.170 I'm mainly talking about the... The teenagers, 00:01:39.370 --> 00:01:41.510 you know, they always try to want to keep up 00:01:41.510 --> 00:01:43.170 with everybody else. But then this is not just 00:01:43.170 --> 00:01:45.489 prominent with them. You know, adults also have 00:01:45.489 --> 00:01:49.030 this issue as well. One of the known functions 00:01:49.030 --> 00:01:52.049 of this is keeping up with the Joneses. And honestly, 00:01:52.269 --> 00:01:55.189 this whole thought of being able to keep up with 00:01:55.189 --> 00:01:57.209 the person next to you. I mean, you see they 00:01:57.209 --> 00:01:58.969 have it. That means you have to have it. Don't 00:01:58.969 --> 00:02:01.260 do that. Because all this is going to do is make 00:02:01.260 --> 00:02:03.019 you more and more uncomfortable with yourself 00:02:03.019 --> 00:02:05.260 to the point where you're not satisfied with 00:02:05.260 --> 00:02:07.060 the way you are and you want to basically be 00:02:07.060 --> 00:02:10.780 them, okay? The only valuable weapon to develop 00:02:10.780 --> 00:02:13.719 is a positive body image and acceptance of your 00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:16.979 body and both its good and bad points, okay? 00:02:17.300 --> 00:02:19.080 And I'm going to cover some stuff that will help 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:20.580 you become more confident and comfortable in 00:02:20.580 --> 00:02:24.439 your own skin as best as I can with the information 00:02:24.439 --> 00:02:29.180 that I have with me, okay? So, quick question. 00:02:29.900 --> 00:02:33.219 What is a body image? I'm going to let you think 00:02:33.219 --> 00:02:34.840 about that for a minute. I'm going to take a 00:02:34.840 --> 00:02:44.539 short break and I'll be right back. So I have 00:02:44.539 --> 00:02:46.860 a coordinator with me who also helps me come 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:49.900 up with ideas of things to use in examples. And 00:02:49.900 --> 00:02:52.120 when he showed me the one of perfect children, 00:02:52.219 --> 00:02:54.759 I was just like, that just sounds terrible. Anyway, 00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:58.259 so I asked you the question in the last piece. 00:02:59.639 --> 00:03:03.300 What is a body image? Your body image is how 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:05.560 you see yourself physically, both when you think 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:07.159 about yourself and when you look in the mirror. 00:03:07.219 --> 00:03:10.879 Yes, in the mirror. Body image is affected by, 00:03:11.099 --> 00:03:12.860 and I'm going to list some stuff here, okay? 00:03:13.900 --> 00:03:16.199 Bear with me. Like I said, my English isn't that 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:19.939 great today for whatever reason. How you feel 00:03:19.939 --> 00:03:21.860 about your body, including your height, weight, 00:03:21.979 --> 00:03:24.280 and shape. Your belief about your appearance, 00:03:24.419 --> 00:03:26.900 which may include views about the right appearance. 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:30.560 how your physical body feels to you as you basically 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:34.960 move around now body image is also affected by 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:36.879 stereotypes and beliefs including those of the 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:39.580 people around you as well as your own so please 00:03:39.580 --> 00:03:42.080 keep this in mind having a positive body image 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:44.639 does not mean that you think everything about 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:49.159 your body is perfect after all nobody's perfect 00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:51.629 not even supermodels I'm pretty sure somewhere 00:03:51.629 --> 00:03:53.770 on their bodies, despite how they flaunt it, 00:03:53.870 --> 00:03:56.889 there's at least one small flaw somewhere they're 00:03:56.889 --> 00:03:59.229 trying to keep covered. Now as to where it is, 00:03:59.270 --> 00:04:03.009 who cares? Because I'm not a pervert. So, instead, 00:04:03.349 --> 00:04:05.530 positive body image means accepting your body 00:04:05.530 --> 00:04:07.629 for what it is, celebrating your natural shape 00:04:07.629 --> 00:04:11.030 and size, and how your body performs, right? 00:04:11.370 --> 00:04:13.789 People with positive body images understand that 00:04:13.789 --> 00:04:16.870 personal appearance has very little to do with 00:04:16.870 --> 00:04:19.079 the ability or character of the person. Your 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:22.160 skills, your attributes, your features, these 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:24.800 are what make you who you are, not what you look 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:28.019 like. Though, I will admit, dressing professionally 00:04:28.019 --> 00:04:33.560 does help. Okay? But then, that's about it. And 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:35.480 personal grooming. I'm sorry, I forgot that. 00:04:36.100 --> 00:04:41.279 They are confident and comfortable with themselves, 00:04:41.579 --> 00:04:43.500 and they do not waste time worrying about their 00:04:43.500 --> 00:04:46.480 bodies. That's what a positive image is, and 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:49.279 people who have it. And to develop a positive 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:53.060 body image, developing that image also or helping 00:04:53.060 --> 00:04:56.040 someone else who needs to do so requires three 00:04:56.040 --> 00:04:59.879 main skills and or characteristics. Some of them 00:04:59.879 --> 00:05:01.120 you may have heard before if you've listened 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:04.339 to my moral series, but I'm going to go ahead 00:05:04.339 --> 00:05:06.600 and cover them in short supply real quick once 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:11.379 more. After this break. I need a break so I can 00:05:11.379 --> 00:05:21.730 breathe too. So, talking about those three skills 00:05:21.730 --> 00:05:24.310 and characteristics, now that I got me some water, 00:05:24.490 --> 00:05:26.949 the first one is good self -esteem. You remember 00:05:26.949 --> 00:05:29.709 we covered this. It's closely, closely linked 00:05:29.709 --> 00:05:32.189 to this, which is how you feel about your abilities 00:05:32.189 --> 00:05:35.769 and can be best thought of as your inner voice. 00:05:36.029 --> 00:05:38.250 Those with low self -esteem may also have a more 00:05:38.250 --> 00:05:40.810 negative image of their bodies because they have 00:05:40.810 --> 00:05:42.870 a generally low opinion of themselves and their 00:05:42.870 --> 00:05:45.490 abilities, which is also linked to self -confidence. 00:05:47.020 --> 00:05:49.120 Improving yourself in STEAM requires building 00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:51.980 up your view of yourself. It means taking control 00:05:51.980 --> 00:05:54.540 of your inner dialogue and ensuring that it becomes 00:05:54.540 --> 00:05:56.759 more positive instead of focusing on what might 00:05:56.759 --> 00:05:59.579 go wrong. It is important to focus on what is 00:05:59.579 --> 00:06:01.860 already good. As you remember, we have covered 00:06:01.860 --> 00:06:04.800 that. Next is a positive attitude. The second 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:08.100 element is so closely linked to self -esteem. 00:06:08.699 --> 00:06:11.300 Positive thinking. Or a positive attitude is 00:06:11.300 --> 00:06:13.379 the idea that you can change your life by thinking 00:06:13.379 --> 00:06:15.639 more positively. If this sounds a bit fluffy 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:18.680 and non -scientific, or sounds like a potato 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:22.360 in a sack, consider the placebo effect. A well 00:06:22.360 --> 00:06:24.459 -known example of the power of positive thinking. 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:28.720 Um, hold up. Most people don't know what that 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:32.959 is. Alright, so the placebo effect is... A phenomenon 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:35.120 often seen in clinical trials and other tests 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:38.019 of new medicine. Clinical trials usually involve 00:06:38.019 --> 00:06:41.920 the three groups of patients. One given the new 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:44.600 medicine, second given something that looks like 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:47.519 the new medicine but has no effect. In other 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:51.160 words, a placebo, if you will. And the third 00:06:51.160 --> 00:06:53.860 is given no medicine at all. Doctors often notice 00:06:53.860 --> 00:06:55.720 that the patients given the non -effective medicines 00:06:55.720 --> 00:06:59.000 show signs of improvement. This has been documented 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:01.800 over and over again. There is no clinical reason 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:03.860 for this improvement. The medicine that they 00:07:03.860 --> 00:07:07.459 are given cannot cause these effects because 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:09.740 it contains no active ingredients whatsoever. 00:07:10.019 --> 00:07:12.540 The only conclusion is that these patients improve 00:07:12.540 --> 00:07:15.300 because they believe they have been given something 00:07:15.300 --> 00:07:20.410 that will make them better. i'm saying placebo 00:07:20.410 --> 00:07:22.930 effect i'm pretty sure it's pronounced placebo 00:07:22.930 --> 00:07:27.170 but i digress and it should you know basically 00:07:27.170 --> 00:07:29.889 that's the placebo effect and it shows the power 00:07:29.889 --> 00:07:32.810 of the mind okay if you believe it it becomes 00:07:32.810 --> 00:07:36.490 true three very practical ways to help you avoid 00:07:36.490 --> 00:07:38.509 developing negative views of your body and to 00:07:38.509 --> 00:07:40.889 help you think more positively or try to avoid 00:07:40.889 --> 00:07:45.600 perfectism i'm sorry perfectionism Man, I can't 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:48.259 talk today. Nobody is perfect and trying to be 00:07:48.259 --> 00:07:50.240 perfect in any sphere is only going to lead to 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:53.579 problems in the long term. Good enough actually 00:07:53.579 --> 00:07:57.259 is good enough. Don't make any comparisons. It's 00:07:57.259 --> 00:07:59.199 easy to fall into the trap of comparing your 00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:01.699 life or your body with others and thinking that 00:08:01.699 --> 00:08:04.420 you're inferior in some way. Social media makes 00:08:04.420 --> 00:08:06.779 this especially likely because most people are 00:08:06.779 --> 00:08:10.860 presenting carefully curated images of their 00:08:10.860 --> 00:08:13.600 lives designed to look better. than the actual 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:16.720 reality. Avoid comparisons and try to simply 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:18.959 celebrate others' success as well as your own. 00:08:19.060 --> 00:08:21.620 It'll make you feel better. And the third one 00:08:21.620 --> 00:08:24.360 within these connotations, within the connotations 00:08:24.360 --> 00:08:26.939 that I'm telling you, is to avoid the temptation 00:08:26.939 --> 00:08:30.300 to criticize or judge others anyway. It's always 00:08:30.300 --> 00:08:32.460 easy to criticize, unfortunately being highly 00:08:32.460 --> 00:08:34.820 critical is a bit of a habit and once you start 00:08:34.820 --> 00:08:37.139 to use this approach with others it tends to 00:08:37.139 --> 00:08:39.799 rebound you. A sense of justice is good, but 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:41.860 you also need to give everyone including yourself 00:08:41.860 --> 00:08:44.659 a break from time to time. Not rushing to judge 00:08:44.659 --> 00:08:47.659 is likely to make you a kinder and more pleasant 00:08:47.659 --> 00:08:57.799 person to be around. The third thing is emotional 00:08:57.799 --> 00:09:00.720 awareness and self -control, sometimes called 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:03.740 emotional stability. Finally, to manage your 00:09:03.740 --> 00:09:06.279 views about your body, you need to be aware and 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:08.519 in control of your emotions. I keep saying this 00:09:08.519 --> 00:09:11.340 a lot throughout all my podcasts, but I should 00:09:11.340 --> 00:09:14.080 say something about how important it is. If you 00:09:14.080 --> 00:09:16.000 hear something repeated more than three times, 00:09:16.179 --> 00:09:18.360 especially if it's something that everyone says 00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:20.559 is critical, then you should probably do something 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:22.960 about it. That means that it's something important. 00:09:23.769 --> 00:09:27.669 that you may be lacking and or need. There will 00:09:27.669 --> 00:09:30.250 be times when you see or hear things that will 00:09:30.250 --> 00:09:32.210 upset you and affect your view of your body, 00:09:32.289 --> 00:09:34.470 and at these times you need to be able to understand 00:09:34.470 --> 00:09:36.950 what you are feeling and why. To help you master 00:09:36.950 --> 00:09:40.230 and manage those emotions and feelings, avoid 00:09:40.230 --> 00:09:42.809 them affecting your body image on a personal 00:09:42.809 --> 00:09:46.110 basis is a healthy thing to do. Some activities 00:09:46.110 --> 00:09:49.370 you can do to develop a better body image. If 00:09:49.370 --> 00:09:51.149 you're struggling to develop a more positive 00:09:51.149 --> 00:09:53.509 image of your body, you may find some of these 00:09:53.509 --> 00:09:55.730 activities helpful. I'm going to list off five 00:09:55.730 --> 00:10:02.149 things that could help you. First off, make a 00:10:02.149 --> 00:10:04.629 list of all the things that your body helps you 00:10:04.629 --> 00:10:06.730 to do. From the essentials like breathing through. 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:10.299 taking exercise and getting you to places you 00:10:10.299 --> 00:10:13.159 want to go or to see people you love or care 00:10:13.159 --> 00:10:15.220 for. Remind yourself of all the things you couldn't 00:10:15.220 --> 00:10:17.620 do without your body and celebrate it for what 00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:21.240 it does do for you. Two, make a list of 10 things 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:23.379 that you really like about yourself not related 00:10:23.379 --> 00:10:25.379 to your appearance and remind yourself that your 00:10:25.379 --> 00:10:28.440 appearance does not affect who you are. Third, 00:10:28.700 --> 00:10:31.320 surround yourself with positive people. people 00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:33.820 who feel good about themselves who help you to 00:10:33.820 --> 00:10:35.840 do the same if you spend time with people who 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:38.580 are constantly doing themselves i'm sorry doing 00:10:38.580 --> 00:10:43.259 for themselves better and you as well then you 00:10:43.259 --> 00:10:45.779 will start to feel that it's true positive thinking 00:10:45.779 --> 00:10:49.340 is catching um but so is a negative attitude 00:10:49.340 --> 00:10:53.659 so please be careful who you're around four Wear 00:10:53.659 --> 00:10:56.360 clothes that you like and that make you feel 00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:58.539 confident. Confidence shines through how you 00:10:58.539 --> 00:11:01.360 stand and move and is hugely attractive. However, 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:04.820 please, however, dress appropriate for the situation 00:11:04.820 --> 00:11:07.000 that you're going for. It's okay to be comfortable 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:09.080 and happy with what you're wearing. But if you're 00:11:09.080 --> 00:11:11.279 going for an interview, going in there in a tank 00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:14.679 top and shorts is probably not going to get you 00:11:14.679 --> 00:11:18.539 the job. Okay? Five, look after yourself. Give 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:21.159 yourself a treat by going somewhere nice or spending 00:11:21.159 --> 00:11:23.769 time doing something you love. Remember to value 00:11:23.769 --> 00:11:26.850 yourself and celebrate you being you. Bottom 00:11:26.850 --> 00:11:33.090 line is this. A poor or negative body image can 00:11:33.090 --> 00:11:35.690 be the starting point of a serious mental illness, 00:11:35.889 --> 00:11:39.470 including eating disorders or anorexia, as well 00:11:39.470 --> 00:11:42.090 as anxiety and depression. And if you think you're 00:11:42.090 --> 00:11:43.710 suffering from one of these conditions, you should 00:11:43.710 --> 00:11:46.690 seek professional help. Building and maintaining 00:11:46.690 --> 00:11:48.649 a positive body image is therefore important 00:11:48.649 --> 00:11:51.740 as a result. Learn to accept yourself and your 00:11:51.740 --> 00:11:54.220 body and even just to give yourself a break every 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:56.559 now and then is one of the most important skills 00:11:56.559 --> 00:12:00.779 for our mind. So keep this in mind, okay?