Body image is the picture an individual has of his or her body and what she or he thinks it looks like to others. Researchers believe that concern over body image is really a mask for how a person feels about themselves: their self-esteem.
Related materials:
Related materials:
Body Image and Self-Esteem | fact sheet
Body image is both the mental picture that you have of your body, and how you perceive yourself when you look in a mirror. Self- esteem is how you value and respect yourself as a person—it is the “real” opinion that you have of yourself. Self-esteem impacts how you take care of yourself, emotionally, physically and spiritually...[more]
Disordered Eating | Fact Sheet
Disordered eating consists of a range of thoughts and feelings about food and body image that lie between healthy/normal eating habits with body acceptance at one end and eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder) at the other...[more]
Health and Wellness | Fact Sheet
The key strategies to feeling and looking your best and having a positive outlook in life are to eat well, keep active, and maintain a healthy body weight. It’s not easy to eat well consistently and keep fit with a busy schedule and fast food so easily available...[more]
Males and Disordered Eating | Fact Sheet
Disordered eating issues are mainly associated with girls and women, but boys and men are just as susceptible as females. While males with disordered eating issues display the same kinds of emotional, physical, and behavioral signs and symptoms as girls and women, males are less likely to be diagnosed with what is often seen as a stereotypically “female” health concern...[more]
Media Literacy | Fact Sheet
Have you ever looked in the mirror and not liked what you’ve seen? You are not alone. Maybe your body hasn’t actually changed, but your perception of it has. We all have days when we feel awkward or uncomfortable in our bodies and feel the pressure to measure up to the way fashion supermodels look in the pages of magazines, or the way our favourite actors and actresses look in the movies, on television, or on the internet...[more]
Resiliency | Fact Sheet
Parents often think that it’s easy to be a kid or a teenager. The way they see it, there might be homework to do, but there’s also a lot of play time, video gaming, surfing the internet, and hanging out with friends in between! The media also seems to make life look easy for young people. Teens on some TV shows and in ads always appear to have perfect skin and their hair styled without a single strand out of place...[more]
Eating Disorders and Body Image | fact sheet
A lot of us, particularly in Western society, have poor body image. We are bombarded with images of beautiful people with near-perfect bodies every day of our lives. The drive to be thin, or muscular, or to have a distinctive figure can create serious problems from unhealthy dieting and disordered eating to serious and even life-threatening eating disorders. The difference is usually a matter of degree... [more]
Eating and Living Well (Wellness Module #7) | worksheet
Summarizes how forward thinking and positive body image can help in following a healthy diet and establishing an exercise regimen. The module provides tips in the form of small steps one can take to achieve a healthier lifestyle...[more]
Body Image and Physical Activity | article from Visions Journal
For many women, the body doesn't always seem like a very safe place. This can be especially true for those coping with issues of mental health and addictions. In some of these cases, it seems safer to numb bodily sensations than to fully experience a range of feelings. If this happens, we lose the natural cues from our bodies that tell us how we are feeling, how to regulate ourselves, and when we are in emotional danger...[more]
Wellness Modules | worksheet series
A series of instructive worksheets on promoting good mental health and general well-being. Based on quality information from well-conducted research in these areas. Included are definitions of basic concepts, tips on how to manage mental health and well-being on a daily basis and links to other helpful resources. The purpose of this information is to help individuals and their families develop good mental health knowledge and skills so they can maximize quality of life and manage the normal ups and downs of life. These modules are relevant to all of us, even those of us who have not had any personal experience with mental disorders or substance use problems…[more]
Depression | fact sheet
During a major depression, a person's general outlook on life can shift dramatically. It can lower a person's sense of self-worth and change how they feel about friends and family. Since depression affects the whole body, it can alter eating and sleeping patterns, increase restlessness and overall fatigue, and even cause mysterious symptoms of physical illness... [more]
Depression Toolkit | workbook
This recovery-oriented workbook provides basic concepts relating to depression such as major types, the range of effective treatment alternatives available and how to find and stick with the approach that works for you, strategies to empower you to take an active role in treatment and support discussions with your health care professional, as well as some useful skills to help identify early warning signs of relapse and seek help. Can be used in conjunction with other guides such as the Self-Care Depression Guide (described within), Anxiety Disorders Toolkit or the Mental Disorders Toolkit... [more]
Depression, Anxiety, Alcohol and Other Drugs | brochure [PDF]
This BC Partners brochure investigates the interrelationships between mood, anxiety, and use of substances as well as signs to watch out for that may indicate a disorder requiring intervention. Unique and overlapping symptoms are also featured, as well as resources.
What are Mental Disorders? | fact sheet
Like it or not, mental illness can affect anyone. In BC, at least one in five people will experience some form of mental illness in his or her lifetime, according to research by Health Canada and the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health... [more]
Tobacco, Alcohol and Other Drugs | fact sheet
Drugs are chemical compounds, found in plants or made in a lab, that affect activity in the brain or the body. Tobacco, alcohol and caffeine are the most commonly used. For thousands of years, people around the world have been using certain drugs to help them in their daily lives. Most people can and do use a wide range of drugs in their daily lives without experiencing serious problems. But problems can happen when a person misuses a drug, or when the effects of a drug lead to behaviour that causes harm to the user or to others... [more]
Family Toolkit | workbook
When a family member suffers from a mental illness, one of the most important things to do is to take the time to learn about the disorder. By educating yourself as much as you can about the mental or substance use disorder, you can take an active role in your family member’s recovery. The Family Toolkit was designed to assist families in caring for a family member with a mental illness by providing information and practical resources...[more]
