As I was scrolling though my social media today and noticed many women who are posting selfies "fat shaming" themselves. I saw women writing things like "under this fat," "I hate my body," "fluffy," "this isn't healthy." It saddened me to the reality of women today with the unrealistic expectations society places on a standard of beauty which pushes women into dieting or extreme exercise. 50% of commercials targeting a women audience mention physical attractiveness not to forget a profiting diet and beauty industry that is getting rich off pills and waist trainers by exploiting these women's struggles. This leads to mental health concerns including low self esteem, body image issues, depression, anxiety, and eating disorder, just to name a few. As a licensed mental health counselor, I decided to do some research on how this negative self talk affects us and found astonishing results. Women experience an average of 13 negative thoughts about themselves daily, while 97% of women admit to having a "I hate my body," thought each day. Female athletes have a 20% change of establishing an eating disorder with the highest risk including those in aesthetic sports (i.e. gymnastics, ballet, figure skating, bodybuilding). I had a client tell me today "I will be happy when I lose 10 more pounds," after losing 40! Which is amazing by the way and not a easy task. I told her "don't wait til then to be happy. Be happy now! Your happiness is not dependent on your size!"

I challenge you to reflect on how you are talking to yourself everyday. I am sure we would never talk to another women in this way. So why talk to the most important women in your life like that ... You! We have to work on love and caring for the relationship with ourselves just as much as our relationship with others. If you are struggling with negative self talk or negative habits around eating or exercise please contact a therapist and seek help. Feel free to call me for assistance or a free consultation on how you can change you negative self talk today at 305-447-7680.

Last but not least remember, You are Beautiful!

Alicia Marlieb, M.Ed., LMHC

Sources:

Zucker NL, Womble LG, Williamson DA, et al. Protective factors for eating disorders in female college athletes. Eat Disorders 1999; 7: 207-218.

Sungot-Borgen, J. Torstveit, M.K. (2004) Prevalence of ED in Elite Athletes is Higher than in the General Population. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 14(1), 25-32.