Self-Esteem

According to the NYC Girl’s Project, as early as middle school 40 to 70 percent of girls and assigned female at birth dislike at least two parts of their bodies. Girls’ self-esteems take a nosedive at 12-years-old and don’t recover until they reach 20. This raises some serious questions about how our society addresses teen body image. Having a negative body image can take girls and assigned female at birth down a dangerous path, making it imperative that parents and their children know how to create a positive teen body image. 

Effects of a negative teen body image

The teenage years are full of physical and emotional change, making it an already difficult time to be comfortable in your own skin. Then you pile on how the media, your peers, and society tell you to look and it becomes even more difficult.

According to Mayo Clinic, a negative body image can make a girl or child assigned female at birth feel inadequate as a person. Obsession with body image and looking a certain way can become unhealthy. All of these increase the risk of developing an eating disorder, depression, or low self-esteem. 

Tips to create a positive body image

Being a teenager can be confusing without guidance, that’s why it’s important for parents to step up and help lead their children towards a positive teen body image. A few tips from the US Department of Health and Human Services on how to encourage a healthy body image include:

• Help their understand puberty: It’s strange to not know what’s going on inside your body, it can even become scary. Clarifying that puberty is a time of immense change, including weight fluctuation, can really help your child understand what she’s going through.
• Compliment her: Recognizing when your child did well through their efforts, talents, or personal values is important in boosting positive self-esteem.
• Talk to her: Make sure your child knows you’re there if they have any questions or issues, just voicing your support can be a huge help.
• Practice positive body image yourself: If your child sees that you don’t practice what you preach, it undermines the value of the message. Make sure you’re avoiding negative statements about size, weight, or food.

Solstice RTC can help

Solstice RTC is a residential treatment center for struggling teen girls. We help lead girls and assigned female at birth through difficult issues, such as trauma, negative teen body image, depression, and many more. We help families heal.

For more information about how Solstice RTC can help your daughter, call us today at (801)815-8700.

The Solstice Team

Change isn’t easy for anyone, but for some teens, unexpected changes can lead to anxiety, depression or the use of unhealthy coping skills. The following tips give some ideas of how you can help develop flexibility in teens.

1. Develop positive thinking. When a teen’s thinking become negative about a change, it is likely that this thinking will come with a multitude of incorrect or false ideas about the situation. By helping their challenge these negative thoughts and see the errors in their thinking, they will be able to think more positively about the situation and not get sucked into thinking the worst about what the change can bring.
2. Learn about choice. Helping to see that there is a choice in every situation can help develop flexibility in teens. While some situations may seem not to have a choice, by helping your teen to see that they always have a choice, they may feel less “stuck” in situations. While teaching about always having a choice, it is also important to teach your teen to make good decision. Help them see the consequences of what their choices could bring.
3. Play out the tape. Help your teen to “play out the tape” by helping their walk through what the change will bring. How will the change effect the situation as a whole? What things are going to happen because of the change? How will my attitude and effect how the situation plays out. By mentally walking through situations on a regular basis, flexibility in teens will increase as changes feel more “predictable.”
4. While this tip is not as “therapeutic” as the others, and may not always be available to all families, traveling really does develop flexibility in teens. When traveling, so many unexpected things occur: flight delays, getting lost, car problems, etc. Traveling offers up many instances where flexibility is necessary right in the moment. While it may be overwhelming for your teen, helping their to continue to “enjoy the ride” while on vacation can help their see how being open and adapting to change can result in positive things.

Developing flexibility in teens can help them to become more resilient and better prepared for the many changes life is bound to bring.

To learn more about how Solstice helps develop flexibility in teens, give us a call at (866) 278-3345.

The Solstice Team

Turn on the TV. Open a magazine. What do you see? A thin, “flawless,” photoshopped person on every channel or page. Girls and assigned female at birth – girls and assigned female at birth are reduced to objects of advertisement for anything from food to clothing to cars. Media sends the message that the sole value of a girl or child assigned female at birth rests in their physical appearance.

Young girls’ self image are at an all time low. In this world where girls and assigned female at birth are trapped by misrepresentation, building self esteem is the only way out.

Low self-esteem is a thinking disorder in which an individual views him/herself as inadequate, unlovable and/or incompetent. Once formed, this negative view permeates every thought, producing faulty assumptions and ongoing self-defeating behavior. – Dosomething.org 

The problem is real

Did you know that seven out of every 10 girls believe that they are not good enough or substandard in some way? This includes appearance, relationships with family and friends and academic performance. Did you, also, know that 80 percent of 10-year-old girls and assigned female at birth fear becoming “fat”? And, 40 to 70 percent of middle school girls and assigned female at birth are dissatisfied by two or more parts of their body. By the time they are 12 to 15 years old, levels of satisfaction in body and appearance plummets to an all time low.

75 precent of girls and assigned female at birth with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities like cutting, bullying, smoking, drinking or disordered eating. – 11 Facts about Teens and Self Esteem

How can you take part in building self esteem?

In a study, teen girls and assigned female at birth indicated that their top wish is for better communication with their parents including more frequent and open conversations. As a parent that is your prerogative ; talk to your daughter.

• Tell their they are beautiful and valued and that the media lies. Avoid supporting or indulging in programs or products that portray people unfairly and inappropriately.
• Support their by showing their movies and stories that feature strong female and assigned female at birth protagonists or leads. Expose your child to people who have power and success. The media is partially to blame for lowering positive self image in teen girls, but it can also be used as a tool for building self esteem.

Solstice RTC works hard in building self-esteem

If you have a 14 to 18-year-old child struggling with low self-esteem and body image, Solstice RTC can help. Solstice is a residential treatment center that integrates tools for building self-esteem in everyday conversations and activities.

Call Solstice RTC today at (866) 278-3345 for more information!

The Solstice Team