Body Image

@courteousVillage7719 Seeing this rather late, but I did want to say one thing... I know a lot of people struggle with body image, and I am certainly no different. But it is very important that we keep reminding ourselves of how false media imagery is and what impossible expectations the beauty and fashion industries, as well as film and television, etc. set up. One little exercise I sometimes find helpful is to just look up articles that compile images of celebrities without any photoshop and make-up and professional cameras/lighting. It really puts into perspective what false images we are bombarded with *all* the time.

There are also a number of Self-Help Guides and Mindfulness Exercises on 7 Cups that relate to building up self-esteem or addressing other issues. If you haven't checked those out, I hope you'll give them a try.

I wish you the best of luck on your journey!

@courteousVillage7719

Welcome! Im Lizzy and Im currently a trained listener and intern. I hope you find what you are looking for here in 7 Cups. Please feel free to message me whenever. I will usually reply within the day and if Im online, you should expect a reply straight away! I specialise in anxiety, panic attacks and loneliness mostly but you are always free to message me for other reasons!

http://www.7cups.com/15248074

@courteousVillage7719

I'm having anxiety about my body. Anybody care to help me get past it?

I'm sorry to hear that you're having anxiety about your body.

To get past it?

Hmm.. well for me, going to therapist / going to therapy was something that helped me tremendously with my anxiety. But one way to try to get past the anxiety you feel about your body is to challenge the anxious thoughts that have related to your body with a Cognitive-Based Therapy technique / exercise that I found from 7 Cup's Self-Help Guides Impact>Self-Help Guides> Anxiety :

Challenging Faulty Thinking Exercise (Barlow, p. 101)

Instructions: Identify a single faulty thought or belief and answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper:

What is the evidence for and against this idea?

Is your belief a habit or based on facts?

Are your interpretations of the situation too far removed from reality to be accurate?

Are you thinking in all-or-nothing terms?

Are you using words or phrases that are extreme or exaggerated? (i.e., always, forever, never, need, should, must, cant, and every time)

Are you taking the situation out of context and only focusing on one aspect of the event?

Is the source of information reliable?

Are you confusing a low probability with a high probability?

Are your judgments based on feelings rather than facts?

Are you focused on irrelevant factors?

Hope this helps somewhat!

I wish you the best of luck with any anxiety that you're experiecing and in general!