Addressing Poor Self Image and Its Effect On The Brain

There’s some interesting research that has often been reported on which relates how making physical changes can improve your frame of mind. For example, walking tall with a good posture makes you feel more confident, and smiling when you don’t feel happy can improve your mood. If changing physically can alter your mood, does it follow that you can affect your brain function by taking steps to deal with poor self-image?

What is a poor self-image?

It is an aspect of having low self-esteem. Your view of your appearance becomes distorted by your feelings about yourself, and you believe that other people see you in a negative light. Extreme forms of poor self-image can manifest into further issues like eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

Potential causes

The factors that lead to poor self-image are many and varied, and it can be hard to isolate what led to these beliefs in the first place. A poor self-image can develop as a result of experiences in childhood such as bullying. It can also be caused by mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety that start with low mood but if left untreated could lead to low self-esteem, feelings of hopelessness and paranoia. It may be difficult to say for sure which causal factor led to which condition, but it is true to say that the negative emotions and feelings operate in a self-perpetuating cycle, with one feeding off the other and each compounding the general feelings of negativity.

Dealing with poor self-image

Whatever causes these problems, taking action can help to dispel the negative feelings. It may sound too simplistic, but by taking some time out for some self-appreciation, you can work on your self-image and how to improve it and see yourself the way you are. Simple actions such as having your hair done, buying new clothes and taking care over your appearance could have a positive effect on your self-image in the same way that smiling helps elevate your mood. By submitting to any negative beliefs, you are reinforcing them. If there is a specific aspect of your appearance that you focus on as the main issue, see if you can do anything about it. If you think your hair is looking thin and lifeless and you feel overly self-conscious about it, try a hair thickener spray to make your locks look thicker and fuller. Or if you feel that you have dry skin, you could look into seeking medical assistance, or get a top-quality moisturizing cream and use it regularly until your skin feels softer and you are no longer so bothered by it.

It’s not easy to overcome low self-esteem and poor self-image issues, but it is possible and well worth making an effort to resolve. Not only will you feel better about yourself, but your brain function will improve, and thus a reverse scenario develops in direct opposition to the negative cycle described above. Instead of negative feeding on negative, if you act to eradicate any practical causes for your feelings, the new positive emotions will grow and boost your brain function and mental well-being and can arrest the destructiveness of poor self-image.