As a licensed Mental Heath Counselor and a woman, I loved Amy Schumer's new movie I Feel Pretty. The movie is about a woman who who struggles with feelings of insecurity and self esteem. During the film she hits her head while exercising and has a entire change in perspective on herself, her body, and her ability as a woman, employee and person. She magically got the confidence she needs to become all she ever wanted to be. I know what you are thinking, if only it was that easy. While nothing is as easy at is appears in the movies, it is possible to have this shift. Nothing changed in the film except for her perspective about herself. Prior to the hit on the head, she questioned everything she did, everything she was and had negative self talk. All of this can be improved through self esteem counseling! Here are some techniques you can use to start working on you self image.

1. Catch your thoughts: Often times we are putting ourselves down throughout the day and not even realizing it. It could be as simple as walking past the mirror with a snide comment about your body, shaming yourself for eating that cooking or beating yourself up for making a simple mistake. I always tell my client's "Catch it, check it change it." Catch the thought as it is happening, check it to see you intentions behind the thought and how you feel as a result of the internal comment. Lastly, change it to a more positive alternative that makes you feel happier and feeds you self love goals. You can practice this technique by making a list of all the things you tell yourself throughout the day. At the end of the day write down those alternative positive thoughts.

2. Tell yourself something better: With those alternative positive thoughts, make flash cards to keep on you and read through out the day to keep you in a positive frame of minds. Additionally you can create post it notes saying positive affirmations like "I am beautiful, I am capable, I am worth it." Stick those on your mirror and read those to yourself while you are brushing your teeth.

3. Talk to yourself in the mirror: Another technique is to look at yourself in the mirror. Instead of critiquing your body or criticizing yourself. Give your self compliments. Focus on all the things you love and appreciate about yourself. Start with "I appreciate you for .... waking up this morning, being healthy, being intelligent, being creative, being passionate, etc." You can focus on character traits you possess, strengths, or physical attributes. Tell yourself you are brave for even partaking in this activity. This can be really difficult but dig deep to find something you can tell yourself and believe. You can build from there.

4. Do some positive journaling: Grab a notebook and try some of these positive journaling topics.

Examples: What is the best compliment you received and how did it make you feel hearing that? What about someone you admire and the traits/ qualities you share with this person? Write about how you encourage the people you love and how you can encourage yourself? What makes you a strong person? Write of a time you were afraid and you overcame that? What is your greatest success?

5. Practice self love: take care of you mind, body, emotional/ mental health! You can not pour from an empty glass. If you are full and fulfilled you will not only feel better but be better in all other areas of your life. If you struggle with depression or anxiety, work on that with a therapist. If you seek spiritual growth, prioritize time to feed that. If you want to take a yoga class or zumba because you feel empowered, make that a priority! Treat yourself to a manicure, rub lotion on your body, take a long bath, do a meditation. You deserve it! You are the most important thing in your life and you can start treating yourself in that way today!

South Florida residents that are seeking help in increasing their self esteem and decreasing their negative thoughts can find support and individualized counseling treatment from Alicia Marlieb, M.Ed, LMHC. She is a mental health counselor that has professional knowledge regarding depression and anxiety strategies including motivational therapy, client centered techniques, strength based interventions, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Additionally, Alicia Marlieb provides counseling techniques that help you mentally adjust to your current struggles and stress. She helps "rewire" your brain to alter behaviors and thoughts to promote happiness and overall wellness. Alicia Marlieb is located in Broward County, Florida. She can help clients to increase motivation and strengthen their mindset throughout their counseling journey for more information visit www.fitcounselingcoralsprings.com or call us at 305-447-7680 for a free consultation!

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