Wellness

Resilience Developmental Assets Role of Recreation Importance of Friendship Healthy Bodies and Minds Encouraging Self-esteem and Positive Body Image

General Information

Self-esteem is the value you place on yourself. It is the image you have of yourself, measured against what you think you should be (with regard to your talents, skills, intellect, social skills, physical abilities, and appearance). It is normal for self-esteem to fluctuate throughout life, with adolescence being one of the most fragile times. Thoughts and actions can reinforce or undermine self-esteem. By taking the focus away from appearance, students may achieve a more rounded self-concept where appearance is only one of many attributes.

Body image is a part of self-esteem and is a person’s perception of his or her body size, shape, and attractiveness. Body image also includes a person’s attitudes and feelings about his or her body and how they think others see them. A healthy body image means knowing how to take care of yourself and feeling good in your body. Instead of striving for a “perfect body,” you find other ways to feel good about yourself. Positive body image is linked to good self-esteem, and these two qualities build a student’s confidence and resilience.

What This Might Look Like In The Classroom

Students with positive self-esteem and a healthy body image are more likely to:

be more confident.
be happier.
build positive relationships with others.
have a sense of belonging.

To support the development of healthy children and youth, it is important to focus on positive strategies that promote healthy self-esteem and positive body image, such as:

reducing weight stigmatization and empowering children and youth
focusing on health, not weight
being a positive role model through your words and actions
promoting healthy eating balanced eating and supporting food environments
promoting fun and challenging physical activity opportunities regularly
providing encouragement and opportunities for students to develop assets

What We Can Do Together

Encourage and support “positive body talk” environments (i.e., environments free from language focused on weight, dieting, and appearance).
Engage youth in meaningful ways.
Build Developmental Assets in children and youth

Teachers and Support Staff

Reflect on your own beliefs and attitudes about body size, eating, and physical activity, and on how you feel about yourself.
Be aware of the messages you send about appearances (e.g. “You look great. Have you lost weight?”, “I was bad today. I ate birthday cake.”).
Change the subject or redirect conversations about weight and diets.
Emphasize your own skills and talents rather than your physical appearance.
Help students focus on their gifts, talents, and interests, and help them verbalize these strengths (e.g., “Name five things you can do well.”).
Have students practice providing and receiving positive feedback.
Teach students to be critical of messages from the media (e.g., discuss how the media enhances body features with makeup and computer techniques).
Avoid teaching about eating disorders; this can glamorize disordered eating.
Create an environment where students of all body shapes and sizes are accepted.
Intervene when you observe weight-based stigmatization/teasing.
Promote physical activity as fun and as part of a healthy lifestyle, not as a way to lose weight.
Modify physical activities to be non-competitive and inclusive of all skill levels.
When talking about body image, avoid relating it to healthy eating and physical activity (can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and physical activity).
Build Developmental Assets in children and youth.

School Administrators

Engage youth in meaningful ways.
Make your school a “positive body talk” zone (i.e., an environment free from language focused on weight, dieting, and appearance).
Provide opportunities for staff training on healthy self-esteem, positive body image, and building Developmental Assets.
Include weight-based stigmatization/teasing in bullying policies.

Parents and Caregivers

Reflect on your own beliefs and attitudes about body size, eating, and activity and on how you feel about yourself.
Focus on the positive behaviours that promote health—being active, eating well, and being yourself.
Discourage children from weighing themselves—scales measure gravity’s pull on the body, not health.
Be aware of the messages you send about appearances (e.g., “You look great. Have you lost weight?”, “I was bad today. I ate birthday cake.”).
Talk to your children about how their bodies are changing and growing, and that bodies come in all shapes and sizes.
Encourage children to focus on their abilities rather than on their appearance.
Be aware of your child’s social networks and help them to foster positive significant relationships.
Teach children to treat others with respect and not to comment on people’s weight, shape, or size.
Listen to what children say about themselves and others, and use these opportunities to talk about their feelings.
Help children to challenge misleading media messages and understand the power of advertising.
Be a positive role model through your words and actions.
Help children find fun things to do that they are interested in.
When talking about body image, avoid relating it to healthy eating and physical activity (can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and physical activity).
Build Developmental Assets in children and youth.

Community Partners

Engage youth in meaningful ways.
Develop an environment for children and youth that is inclusive and accepts all shapes and sizes.
Empower children and youth to challenge society’s messages about weight, shape, and dieting.
Provide professional development opportunities for staff on ways to help children and youth develop positive self-esteem and a healthy body image.
Incorporate positive role modelling and Developmental Assets into programming.

CHECKERED FLAGS

Encouraging Self-esteem and Positive Body Image