Positive Body Image - Embracing the Inner Beauty

Introduction

In a world that often places value for unattainable beauty standards, it is essential to take a step back and practice self-acceptance in its true essence. The human body is an incredible vessel designed to carry a person through life's adventures. However, societal pressures and unrealistic ideals can damage a person's self-perception leading to negative self-talk and diminished self-worth. Cultivating a positive body image can help people redefine their beauty, embrace diversity, and appreciate their magnificence.

What Is Body Image?

Body image is a multifaceted concept that includes an individual's positive and negative points of view, thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors about their appearance and body. It is generally a mental representation of a person who undergoes developmental patterns. Physical, psychological, and sociocultural contexts also characterize it. Since it represents a psychological relation, it also influences how they perceive their body and interact with the world around them. Body image is categorized into positive and negative body image.

What Is a Positive Body Image?

Positive body image is identified by appreciation, acceptance, and respect for one's body. It is divided into four categories:

1. Favorable opinions about the body.

2. Acceptance of the body with its imperfections, despite body shape or weight.

3. Respect for the body by attending to its needs and engaging in healthy behaviors.

4. Protecting the body by rejecting unrealistic body images portrayed in the media.

Positive body images are associated with healthy behaviors and positive feelings toward the body, promoting increased psychological well-being. Positive body image is associated with a lower risk of developing eating disorder symptoms through:

1. Direct influence on psychological well-being

2. Indirect influence on reducing the impact of environmental factors.

3. Promotion of protective cognitive styles that resists the effects of appearance-centered media.

Positive body image was considered psychotherapy, leading to acceptance and appreciation of one's body. This effectively encouraged the individuals to not worry about their appearance and to appreciate themselves with respect, kindness, and gratitude for their bodily features, functions, and appearance.

Positive body image stands out as a significant cornerstone that can help in the intervention and prevention of eating disorders and reduce negative body image and disembodiment. Some key elements of positive body image include:

• Love and respect

• Appreciation and acceptance.

• Positive embodiment.

• Mindfulness.

• Higher self-esteem.

• Positive health-related behaviors.

• Joyful well-being.

What Is the Role of Nature Environments and Overall Well-Being?

The natural environment is known to be a salutogenic approach to well-being. Nature is the processes and physical characteristics of nonhuman origin that people grasp or recognize, including the still and running water, flora and fauna, air and weather quality, and landscapes that embrace and influence geographical processes. Exposure to natural environments (nature) improves:

1. Physiological health by enhancing physical activity, and immune system resources, decreasing blood pressure and stress.

2. Psychological health improves cognitive function, sleep quality, and happiness, reduces anxiety and depression, and increases self-esteem and subjective vitality.

Because of these benefits, SRT (stress recovery theory) recommends having a complex, deep, and structural association through environmental exposure that aids in stress management and enhances positive emotions by regulating negative thoughts and the parasympathetic nervous system. While ART (attention restoration theory) suggests that nature provides opportunities for humans to inhibitory responses that promote better recovery from mental illness.

Nature and Positive Body Image:

Some studies have proposed that nature is indirectly or directly associated with positive body image. According to SRT and ART, nature provides and facilitates an environment to distance humans physically and mentally from appearance-focused societal contexts and mitigate against negative thoughts and feelings related to body appearance.

Engaging in physical activity is commonly associated with a more positive body image. Self-determination theory (SDT) suggests that exercise goals related to body images, such as weight management, improving appearance, enjoyment, health improvement, socialization, and pleasure, are known to impact motivation regulation. It is based on three basic needs: relatedness, competence, and autonomy.

How Is Positive Body Image Related to Embodiment?

Positive body image is a complex concept explaining embodiment as a factor in a person's attitude, beliefs, self-perception, thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. According to developmental theory on embodiment, positive body image or favorable embodiment includes five procedures:

1. Positive connection with the body exhibiting a comfortable feeling or "at home" feel when embodying oneself and interacting with the world through it.

2. Experience of power and functionality of one's body.

3. Awareness and perception of one's body.

4. Self-care in response to perceived bodily or inner needs.

5. Embodying or inhabiting the body as the first person.

Hence, positive body image and embodiment go hand in hand by embracing the beauty of one's body. Positive embodiment fosters the growth of positive body image by involving in a constructive relationship with one's body resulting in self-care, self-acceptance, and non-judgment, and embracing the process of the developmental theory of embodiment.

It is also linked with mindfulness and self-compassion practices that show positive outcomes correlated with negative thoughts or perceptions of embodiment, such as body shaming and self-objectification.

What Is Self-Compassion in a Positive Body Image?

According to Buddhist psychology, self-compassion is a protective factor that involves an openness to perceiving one's suffering as part of the human experience without distancing oneself from it. It consists of three factors:

1. Mindfulness: A person can observe their feelings and thoughts. When considering body image, mindfulness is applied in a nonjudgmental way or self-identity.

2. Common Humanity: It is the ability to identify and understand one's life experiences as a human and feel connected to the world by recognizing the experiences as a common factor.

3. Self-Kindness: It is one's ability to understand and be kind to oneself, self-care, and accept self-mistakes (when gaining weight) by understanding them.

Self-compassion is an indicator of positive body image and happiness. It is also known to prevent negative self-evaluations, including body shame. Mindfulness helps in preventing self-perceptions through the ability to manage thoughts and feelings without self-identifying them. It is also associated with compassion and understanding oneself during stressful or dangerous situations.

Conclusion

Embracing a positive body image is essential for overall well-being and happiness. It involves self-acceptance and appreciation of bodies for their unique qualities, focusing on self-care instead of conforming to societal beauty standards, and fostering empathy and acceptance towards oneself and others. Developing a positive body image requires self-reflection, self-compassion, and a shift in mindset. Still, the profound benefits lead to increased confidence, resilience, and a healthier relationship with self and the world around us.