Could Yoga Improve Your Teen ’ s Body Image?

For the parents of teenagers, these are anxious times. Across the US and UK, it appears that mental health issues are on the rise in young people1, with various modern pressures weighing heavily on a generation that is too young to cope. One significant factor is problems with body image, something which profoundly interacts with the self-esteem, happiness and ultimately mental health of young people. Body Image and Teenagers Body image is our mental representation of ourselves. It can be quite far removed from the objective reality of our bodies, and it is also a key part of our wider self-esteem. The way we perceive our body has much to do with how we perceive our character and abilities — for example, a boy who thinks of himself as “puny” may associate this with being unmasculine, while a girl who describes herself as a “plain Jane” may extrapolate that she is dull and unexceptional. Some body image struggles are normal (especially in our teenage years), but we appear to have moved far from occasional self doubt to a near-constant state of deeply felt, life-disrupting body dissatisfaction. Problems with body image can cause low self-esteem, social withdrawal, low expectations of life, self neglect and social anxiety. Surveys asking young people how they view themselves make for worrying reading. Some key statistics in the US include2: 53% of American 13-year-old girls are unhappy with their bodies — a figure that rises to 78% by the time they are...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Eating Disorders Health-related Mental Health and Wellness Mindfulness Self-Esteem Women's Issues Body Image Objectification self-worth Social Anxiety Social Withdrawal Yoga Source Type: blogs