Encouraging healthy body image in teenagers

In your teen’s universe, it’s fully possible that there is absolutely nothing that she likes about her appearance. Your beautiful child? What can you do to help? Working to foster a healthy body image in a teenager is a daunting task, but it is possible.

Build them up before they are teens

Before your teenagers realize that you are not the center of the universe; before the power of peer pressure grips their hearts; and before the media begins to creep into their brains, subliminally telling them that they have too much acne, it’s your job to plant and nourish a healthy body image in their minds. Encourage your teenagers to base self-esteem on the whole-person concept, focusing on who they are , not on what they look like. The key to healthy, well-adjusted teenagers is healthy, well-adjusted children crossing over that threshold of adolescence.

But, part of appreciating oneself is appreciating one’s butt… and the rest too

When it comes to getting your teenagers to recognize and appreciate their bodies for what they are, get them to treat their bodies like a temple, and get them to do it young. Start by fostering healthy eating habits, recognizing that if they respect their bodies, what they puts into them matters. Teach good food choices not for controlling weight, but for good health. Don’t focus on that bottom never expanding, but on how good their bodies feel when they feed them good food.

Use physical activity, like sports and just good, old-fashioned play as another way to boost good body image from a young age. It teaches your teenagers to recognize and appreciate how their bodies work with them to enjoy and participate in something that they’re having fun doing. And, you can explain that it helps to keep them healthy and strong. As your children approach their teenage years and see their bodies are lean and strong, they’ll appreciate all these habits even more.

Appreciation of the body’s other great talents

Teaching your teenagers to appreciate their bodies as fine-tuned machines goes a long way towards good body image, but that’s only half of it. Your teenagers are whole people with talents and skills well beyond being able to choose a healthy salad or apple over a candy bar; or being able to run, or play a good game of pick-up soccer in the park. Your teenagers are able to play the flute or recite Shakespeare or create paintings worthy of museums. Teach your teenagers to appreciate their bodies for the talents hidden within it and to accept them for all they hold.

Teenagers with an appreciation for their talents, all of them, are less likely to have self-esteem problems overall, even if they have some perceived flaws. They are able to see a balance between flaws and things that they have that can compensate for them. They see a sort of plus-and-minus system within themselves, rather than a pileup of flaws when they look in the mirror.

Empathize with their experiences

You were not born a parent. You were a teenager once too; and whether you like to remember it or not, looks do matter. So, if you have teenagers who are overweight or underweight or have other image problems it’s important to show compassion and not dismiss the experience. Help where you can. See doctors if necessary and help make healthful changes that will assist your children in achieving goals that may alter their body images.

Be a role model

They may not admit it, but your teenagers do still look to you to be a role model. That means you need to have the epitome of a healthy body image. No complaining of hating your thighs or a wrinkle or two when you look in the mirror. Appreciate your body the same way you’d like your teenagers to. Follow the advice you’re giving your teenagers. Eat healthfully, get physical activity and find your hidden talents. It will be easy to practice what you preach.

Getting through the teenage years can be a bumpy road, filled with potholes and detours. Body image is one of those road hazards that pops up repeatedly for your teenagers, reminding them that they are constantly a work in progress. Work with them from the time they are very young, fostering a healthy body image and you will be well on your way to having happy, well adjusted teenagers on your hands.

References Encouraging a healthy body image