Coping with Body Image Struggles?? | 5 Therapist approved ways to improve your self-esteem

Summary

In this video, licensed mental health therapist Mallory Grimste offers five therapist-approved strategies to cope with body image issues. She emphasizes the importance of acknowledging your body, using positive affirmations correctly, self-soothing, expressing gratitude for your body's functions, and surrounding yourself with diverse body experiences. Mallory encourages viewers to transform negative thoughts into positive ones and to appreciate their body's efforts in supporting their life.

Takeaways

• 👤 **Acknowledge Your Body**: Recognize and notice your body as the first step towards changing how you view and feel about it.
• 🧘 **Practice Mindfulness**: Engage in body scan meditation or simply be aware of your body's movements and sensations throughout the day.
• 🌟 **Positive Affirmations**: Use positive affirmations to counteract negative thoughts, aiming to repeat positive statements five times to balance one negative thought.
• 🚫 **Avoid Unrealistic Goals**: When crafting affirmations, ensure they're believable and don't skip steps in your progress.
• 🤲 **Self-Soothe**: Utilize your senses to calm physical distress, such as using lotion, wearing comfortable clothes, or enjoying a soothing drink.
• 🙏 **Express Gratitude**: Show appreciation for your body parts and their functions, especially during activities like showering.
• 🌍 **Check Your Surroundings**: Be aware of the diversity in body types around you and strive to be surrounded by different body experiences.
• 📱 **Limit Social Media Influence**: Recognize the curated nature of social media and its potential to skew your perception of body diversity.
• 🌞 **Prepare for Seasonal Changes**: Be ready to cope with body image stress during seasons that may expose more of your body, like summer.
• 🔔 **Stay Tuned for More Tips**: Look forward to upcoming videos that will offer additional strategies for coping with body image issues.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video is discussing body image and providing coping strategies for those who are struggling with it.

Who is Mallory Grimste?

Mallory Grimste is a licensed mental health therapist practicing in Connecticut and New York, who creates videos to share tips and strategies for mental health.

What is the first coping strategy Mallory suggests for body image issues?

The first coping strategy Mallory suggests is to take a moment and acknowledge your body, which involves practicing gentle mindfulness throughout your body.

How does Mallory recommend using positive affirmations?

Mallory recommends using positive affirmations by transforming automatic negative thoughts into more positive ones and repeating them five times to counteract one negative thought.

What is the concept of 'even though' in the context of positive affirmations?

The concept of 'even though' is used to create a bridge between an automatic negative thought and a positive affirmation, by acknowledging the negative thought and then stating a positive goal or belief.

What is the third coping strategy discussed in the video?

The third coping strategy is self-soothing, which involves using one or more of the five physical senses to calm or relax the physical distress experienced by the body.

How can expressing gratitude be a part of coping with body image issues?

Expressing gratitude can be a part of coping by going through different body parts and acknowledging the work they do, which can help transform the relationship with one's body.

What is the importance of checking your surroundings in relation to body image?

Checking your surroundings is important because it helps to recognize the diversity of body shapes, sizes, and colors, which can help transform one's own body image by being exposed to a variety of body experiences.

What is the significance of the summer season in relation to body image as discussed in the video?

Summertime can be stressful for body image because warmer weather often leads to wearing less clothing, which can make individuals feel physically and emotionally exposed.

What is the next topic Mallory plans to cover in her upcoming video?

In her upcoming video, Mallory plans to cover coping strategies for seasonal depression, specifically focusing on summer depression.

How does Mallory encourage viewers to engage with her content?

Mallory encourages viewers to engage with her content by liking, subscribing, and commenting on which strategies they find most useful, which helps her understand the impact of her videos and what viewers want to see more of.