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Tag Archive for: Self-esteem

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Self-Esteem Boosting Tips

We all seem to have a tendency to look in the mirror and focus on the negative; however, it is known that the power of positivity can help boost self-esteem.  The following article from Today’s Parent discusses the importance of building self-esteem in children from a young age and tips on how to boost their confidence so they can happily look themselves in the mirror every day.

Today’s Parent:  How To Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem

These tips aren’t just great for boosting self-esteem in kids, but can work for adults too!

 

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Keeping Up Appearances: Social Media and Self-Esteem

Guest Blogger:  Susan Wang, Occupational Therapist

In the current age of media, the internet and social media sites (especially Instagram) contribute heavily towards bombarding young girls with images and videos of models. Approx. 90% of adolescents use social media daily, frequently for more than 2 hours a day.  Girls are more exposed in higher rates to media than boys which make females much more vulnerable to the negative impacts of media than boys. With the rise of social media use for marketing and advertising, content creators and models can interact heavily with their viewers through comments and live videos. They create heavily curated profiles and document intimate moments of their lives that thousands (sometimes millions) of individuals follow and keep up with. This, in addition to the popularity of Instagram use by celebrities, can create the illusion of forming authentic relationships with their audience. The interactive nature of social networking also provides opportunities for girls to compare their appearance with their peers. For example, taking selfies may cause women to scrutinize their own image from an observer’s perspective, which is then further reinforced by instant feedback on their appearance through the form of comments and ‘likes.’

Social media presents unique pressures on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. It is a highly visual environment in which appearance ideals and the pursuit of thinness are promoted. Indeed, the interactive nature of social media appears to contribute to increases in disordered eating. As social media marketing and advertising continues to grow, competition amongst content creators and “influencers” also rises. There is a need to create a persona and create images/videos that stand out amongst the thousands of other marketers competing for the same sponsorships. This results in models utilizing photo editing apps to alter their images. With the rise of “FaceTune” and other photo editing apps, it is increasingly easier for individuals to alter their images, without needing to consult professionals or develop skills in photo editing. This has resulted in girls comparing themselves to unrealistic beauty standards.

In addition, celebrities such as Kim Kardashian have normalized the usage of surgical enhancements. Lip injections, breast augmentations, “fillers”, and other cosmetic surgery has been on the rise in recent years.  Cosmetic doctors have reported an increase in teens seeking lip injections, citing photos of Kylie Jenner as an inspiration. Studies have shown that women who rated their self-esteem, life-satisfaction, and attractiveness as low, were more likely to undergo cosmetic surgery.  This study also indicated that women with high social media exposure were more likely to undergo plastic surgery.  There is also an increase in the number of teenagers seeking plastic surgery. In 2017, approximately 220,000 cosmetic procedures were performed on patients aged 13-19 and social media plays a large part in this trend.  The average Millenial takes over 25,000 selfies in their lifetime, which is one of the major reasons for the self-esteem issues in this age group. In a recent American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery survey, more than 40% of surgeons said looking better in selfies on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook was an incentive for patients of all ages getting surgery. This is magnified for teens, who use social media more often.

Instagram vs. Reality

There are existing efforts to combat the rise in unrealistic beauty standards by raising awareness about the increasing use of photo editing apps. One such example is a community on the forum “Reddit” that posts side-by-side comparisons of edited images posted by models and celebrities and non-edited photos or videos depicting what they actually look like. While some of the posts contain borderline offensive/body-shaming comments, the concept can be helpful, especially for young girls, in highlighting the efforts and altering (posing, editing) that goes into celebrities’ images.

Some additional helpful resources we came across include:

References:

Brown, A., Furnham, A., Glanville, L., & Swami, V. (2007). Factors that affect the likelihood of undergoing cosmetic surgery. Aesthet Surg J, 27 (5). 501-508.

Paul, K. (2018, October 10). Do Instagram and Snapchat distort how teenagers see themselves? MarketWatch. Retrieved from
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-unsettling-relationship-between-selfie-filters-and-plasticsurgery-2018-08-02

Paul, K. (2018, September 30). More than 200,000 teens had plastic surgery last year, and social media had a lot to do with it. MarketWatch. Retrieved from https://www.marketwatch.com/story/should-you-let-your-teenager-get-plastic-surgery-2018-08-29

Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). The mediating role of appearance comparisons in the relationship between media usage and self-objectification in young women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 39, 447–457.

Oberst, U., Wegmann, E., Stoft, B., Brand, M., & Chamarro, A. (2017). Negative consequences from heavy social networking in adolescents: The mediating role of fear of missing out. Journal of Adolescence, 55, 51-60.

Costa, L. D. C. F., de Vasconcelos, F. D. A. G., & Peres, K. G. (2010). Influence of biological, social and psychological factors on abnormal eating attitudes among female university students in Brazil.

Journal of Facial Plastic Surgery (2014). Selfie trend increases demand for facial plastic surgery. Retrieved from https://www.aafprs.org/media/press_release/20140311.html

Salmela-Aro, K,, Upadyaya, K., Hakkarainen, K,, & Lonka, K. (2016). The Dark Side of Internet Use: Two Longitudinal Studies of Excessive Internet Use, Depressive Symptoms, School Burnout and Engagement Among Finnish Early and Late Adolescents. Journal of Youth and
Adolescence, 46 (2). DO – 10.1007/s10964-016-0494-2

de Vries, D. A., & Peter, J. (2013). Women on display: The effect of portraying the self online on women’s self-objectification. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 1483e1489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.01.015 .

Spettigue, W., & Henderson, K.A. (2004). Eating disorders and the role of the media. The Canadian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Review, 13 (1), 16-19.

 

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O-Tip of the Week: Make Time for “Me Time” Every Day

Our O-Tip of the week series we will be providing valuable “OT-Approved Life Hacks” to provide you with simple and helpful solutions for living. 

For the month of February, our O-Tip of the week series will talk about Self-Esteem, which is defined as confidence or belief in one’s own worth or abilities.  Self-esteem issues affect more than just teenagers and encompass more than physical insecurities.  Follow along this February to learn more about self-esteem, its importance and some simple ways give yourself a boost! 

Put yourself first by doing something kind for yourself every day.  Practicing self-care is not selfish, it is a necessary activity that needs to happen in order to support both mental and physical health.  Be sure to take time each to do something just for you (take a walk, have a warm bath, enjoy a special delicious treat).  You deserve it!

The following care of Psychology Today discusses the importance of self-care and provides tips to get you started!

Psychology Today:  Self-Care: 12 Ways to Take Better Care of Yourself

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O-Tip of the Week: Self-Improve by Showing Gratitude

Our O-Tip of the week series we will be providing valuable “OT-Approved Life Hacks” to provide you with simple and helpful solutions for living. 

For the month of February, our O-Tip of the week series will talk about Self-Esteem, which is defined as confidence or belief in one’s own worth or abilities.  Self-esteem issues affect more than just teenagers and encompass more than physical insecurities.  Follow along this February to learn more about self-esteem, its importance and some simple ways give yourself a boost! 

Another proven way to boost your self-esteem is by practicing gratefulness.  Keep a daily (or weekly) gratitude journal where you take a few moments to reflect on 3 things you are thankful for.  Learn more about how the practice of gratitude can boost self-esteem and more in the following care of Forbes.

Forbes:  7 Scientifically Proven Benefits Of Gratitude That Will Motivate You To Give Thanks Year-Round

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O-Tip of the Week: Give Yourself a Pat on the Back

Our O-Tip of the week series we will be providing valuable “OT-Approved Life Hacks” to provide you with simple and helpful solutions for living. 

For the month of February, our O-Tip of the week series will talk about Self-Esteem, which is defined as confidence or belief in one’s own worth or abilities.  Self-esteem issues affect more than just teenagers and encompass more than physical insecurities.  Follow along this February to learn more about self-esteem, its importance and some simple ways give yourself a boost! 

This week we invite you to reflect on and record your accomplishments.  Big or small, past or present, make a list of all the things you have achieved and refer to this when you are feeling down or need a boost. 

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O-Tip of the Week: Life’s too Short to Keep Up with the Jones

Our O-Tip of the week series we will be providing valuable “OT-Approved Life Hacks” to provide you with simple and helpful solutions for living. 

For the month of February, our O-Tip of the week series will talk about Self-Esteem, which is defined as confidence or belief in one’s own worth or abilities.  Self-esteem issues affect more than just teenagers and encompass more than physical insecurities.  Follow along this February to learn more about self-esteem, its importance and some simple ways give your self a boost! 

One way you can harm your self-esteem is through constant comparison of yourself to others.  However, putting a stop to this is, in fact, a difficult ask – magazines, tv shows, movies, social media… all of these things serve as channels to fill your mind with false images of how you “should be.”  Check out this great article care of Psychology Today which provides some great ways to get you to stop comparing yourself to others and see the amazingness within!

Psychology Today:  How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

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Selfies and Your Self-Esteem

Selifies are everywhere!  In fact, they are now even in the Oxford Dictionary which defines the term ‘selfie’ as: “ a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.

Why are selfies so popular?  Why do we post them?  Some find them narcissistic, others simply a means of creative expression.  Many, especially young millennials, find them fun to do.  With their dominance on social media people are starting to wonder what motivates people to take a selfie and what impact posting one has on self-esteem?

The following from CNN discusses conflicting studies on whether posting selfies is good or harmful to your self-esteem.  Check it out here and let us know what you think– To selfie or not to selfie?

CNN:  Selfies hurt self-esteem. No, they help. Scientists can’t make up their minds