Letter to the Editor: Combating Negative Self Talk

Ann Miller, Guest Reporter

For people who have low self-esteem, it can be hard to not struggle with body image, especially with what the media portrays as being beautiful.

We are told our bodies should look a certain way, but because everyone is built differently, it can be impossible to reach those standards and easy to attack ourselves with harsh words.

When people see these unattainable beauty standards, it can make people who already have self-esteem issues attack themselves even more with negative and degrading words.

Through the constant nagging of the media, which is impossible to ignore because we see it everywhere, problems with mental health and self-esteem are on the rise, especially in our youth’s malleable minds.

To fight these harsh and negative thoughts in a healthier way, it is important to know at least one technique to lift ourselves out of negative self-talk.

One quick exercise is to point out five things you like about yourself, whether physical traits or personality traits you find attractive. This can help you feel better about yourself because you become aware of the unique traits you have that no one else has, and it shows that you do not need to look or act a certain way to be beautiful.

This exercise can help remind us that we are different and that different is good. There is no beauty standard because beauty is subjective, so it is necessary to see yourself as your own definition of beautiful.