18.17 Prioritizing Self-Care, Health, and Wellbeing
By simply increasing your knowledge related to self-care behaviors, like nutritious eating, regular physical activity, and quality sleep, you’re moving toward improved health and wellbeing. When we focus on how we feel mentally and physically rather than focusing on our appearance, shape, or weight, we are better able to make and maintain changes that are important to us and contribute to finding balance and our overall wellbeing. Each of us has our own unique body with its own unique needs and preferences; we can get to know our bodies well enough to trust them to let us know what they need. This may not be easy considering the media and cultural environments we live in, but it is possible.
Positive body image is not in direct conflict with someone’s desire to make behavior changes. In other words, a person can both love their body as it is and want to adjust certain health behaviors to feel better; these two sentiments are not mutually exclusive. In fact, if we appreciate our bodies first, it might actually become easier to make these changes. When we feel more confident in ourselves, we may feel empowered to improve overall wellbeing and stop devaluing ourselves based on body ideals.
Student Perspectives: In What Ways Do you Take Care of Yourself to Feel Better?
Self-Assess Your Understanding
- In what ways do you take care of yourself so you feel at your best?
