A Womans Guide to Body Confidence

Mindful Me

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Mindful Me

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Contents

Contents

1. Introducing

2. Positive Emotions Activity What Went Well

3. Body Awareness Activity Body Scan

4. Mindfulness Activity - Mindful Eating

5. Self-Kindness Activity - Mini-Meditations

6. Empowerment Activity - Power Poses

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Introducing

The Dove Self-Esteem Project

The Dove Self-Esteem Project was founded in 2004 to help ensure the next generation of women grow up to be free from misconstrued beauty stereotypes and the burden of self-doubt.

The Project delivers self-esteem education through lessons in schools, workshops for youth groups, and digitally to parents across a number of media channels. Our education programmes and fun interactive activities are purposely designed to help young people avoid or sidestep appearance-related anxieties and the roadblocks that stop them from being confident. With the support of parents, teachers, mentors and youth organisations, we have reached more than 15 million young people around the world through the Dove Self Esteem Project. And together, we can help even more.

The Mindful Me: A Womans Guide to Body Confidence, developed with psychologists, experts and pioneers in body image and womens development, helps women develop body acceptance and self-compassion using mindfulness. This guide contains a series of activities with step by step instructions, and also offers guidance on handling some of the difficult feelings that may sometimes emerge.

We hope you take part, speak up and step forward, confident in being the fullest version of yourself.

For more information and support visit selfesteem.dove.com

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Introducing

Dove has a vision of a world where beauty is a source of confidence, and not anxiety. Anxieties about appearance are felt by women all around the world and can begin early in life. Were on a mission to encourage all women and girls to develop a positive relationship with the way they look so that it doesnt prevent them reaching their full potential. It is when we feel we are the best version of ourselves, inside and out, we feel happiest.

We women feel pressure to fit the cultural stereotype of beauty. This is impacting on our self-esteem and can hold us back.

Consider these troubling facts:

10 years ago, Doves iconic Campaign for Real Beauty added its voice to a growing movement that challenged these beauty pressures felt by women and girls around the world. Today, girls and boys are becoming concerned about their appearance at younger and younger ages. We must take action together, to build, nurture and protect the body confidence and self-esteem of children and adults. As women we can start today forging the way with our own actions so tomorrow we have a generation of confident young people.

Were on a Mission

15.8 million lives reached

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Only 4% of women worldwide consider themselves beautiful

Beauty anxiety begins at an early age with

6 out of 10 girls being so concerned with the way they look, they withhold from engaging fully in important life activities, from the classroom to the dance floor and even the doctors.

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Introducing

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Introducing

InstructionsBefore you begin reading this guide, take some time to sit quietly and reflect on the present moment.This is what it means to be mindful. It is a state of being aware. It means noticing your thoughts and feelings without judging yourself. It means being curious about yourself, your surroundings and your responses.

This guide is intended to help you become more mindful and interested in the thoughts, feelings and the pressures you may be experiencing about your body, your looks and your energy. Throughout our lives, its normal to experience changes in our thoughts and feelings as well as our self-esteem.

Self-esteem is having confidence in yourself, your worth and your abilities. It doesnt mean that you or anyone else can be perfect. It doesnt exclude making mistakes. Self-esteem means having a good measure of self-acceptance so that you can reflect on your behaviours and what you do.

Body confidence is the way we think and feel about the way we look and how we behave as a result. It isnt any kind of objective measure but rather our own capacity to be accepting towards our physical selves. Finding ease in our bodies and giving up damaging judgments allows us to find more clarity, resilience and confidence, at any stage of life, in body, mind and spirit.

Being mindful helps us experience feelings, emotions, sensations, thoughts and events in a non-judgemental and accepting way. Mindfulness can help you focus on the gifts you have your qualities, talents, traits, and the quirks that make you unique and appreciate your role as a participant and contributor among family, friends, community, and the wider world.

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Set aside time for yourself to complete these activities. Youll need up to 1 hours for the six of them, each will take 10-15 minutes. You may want to start out by trying one or two activities a day for the first week if you are short on time.

Choose a time and place where you wont be disturbed. These activities are intended to promote confidence, self-awareness and reflection, as well as being interesting and fun.

Each activity includes an introduction, instructions and an exercise for you to do.

Getting Started

Under 18 years

If you are younger than 18, please see our Mindful Me activity guide that has been especially designed for girls.

Mindfulness is a practice of lifelong learning. This guide can help you start your journey toward mindfulness or continue from where youre at right now. The activities in this guide book are specifically designed for women.

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What went well?

It is common for women to have developed beliefs about their bodies that are unkind and critical. Women are often concerned with the way they look and spend time comparing themselves to others and images they see in the media. This can leave women with negative emotions that can be hard to shake. Helping a woman better harness her positive emotions can help her develop an appreciation of her body and appearance.

Each of us experiences a rich diversity of emotions. Over the course of a day, we may feel delighted, anxious, annoyed, ashamed, proud, embarrassed, hopeful, sad, anxious, relieved or awestruck. Research suggests that such emotional diversity is good for us. But there is one catch. If we find ourselves dwelling on worries and insecurities and failing to notice and savour all of the positives in our selves and in our lives, we can get stuck in something neuroscientists call a negativity bias. This negativity bias can add to chronic-stress, anxiety and depression. Research shows that increasing positive emotions helps to short-circuit stress and improves both our emotional and physical health.

With this activity, we want to nurture positive experiences by encouraging women to identify precious moments or valuable things about themselves and their lives. Negative emotions should not be ignored but they should not become your full focus.

Activity 1

About This Activity

InstructionsYoull need: For this exercise you may keep a journal, jot down notes on your computer, or do this with your family or friends over dinner as a conversation in which all of you can participate. This way you will lock in your positive experiences rather than letting them slip away.

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What went well?

Positive Emotions: What Went Well?

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Think about three things that went well over the course of the day. If you are doing this in the morning, think back to the previous day. The three good things can be small or large, a beautiful smile that you want to remember, or a big life event. Then add a sentence to acknowledge why this went well.

Now think specifically about how your body helped you today. What went well with it? For example, you may have enjoyed how your musc-les felt when running, appreciated the way the curl in your hair looked, or delighted in how rested you felt after a hot bath or a good nights sleep.Why were you able to enjoy your body and feel comfortable in your own skin today?

What went well today and why?

THIS IS WHY:

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THIS IS WHY:

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THIS IS WHY:

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What went well? What went well?

Post ActivityReflexion

How did this activity make you feel? Do you feel you can recognise that even when you find yourself in a low place, there are still qualities you can feel good about?

Take a moment to consider all that you are grateful for. Gratitude is a powerful antidote to feelings that may arise when you compare yourself to other people and feel like you dont have enough or arent good enough. Consider your situation from a different perspective and consider the good in your life and the people who have helped you along the way.

Get used to doing this regularly. You will find it makes a difference. You might try referring to this exercise in real life situations to hold on to strengths when you are feeling down.

Go to selfesteem.dove.com for more information and tips to help build body confidence and self-esteem.

What went well with my body today?

THIS IS WHY:

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THIS IS WHY:

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THIS IS WHY:

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Exercise

What went well?

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Body Awareness

The way a woman thinks she looks is often one of the strongest sources of self-criticism and self-doubt. Negative beliefs can also contribute to feeling disconnected from ones body or feeling in a constant state of tension.

By developing body awareness, you can also cultivate a deep appreciation for your body. Our bodies are amazing. No matter what their size, shape, colour or physical ability, they are a powerful part of who we are that allow us to do and achieve things every day. Everyone has a body that is unique, different to all others. Taking care of ones body in small ways, including allowing time for the body to relax, to calm the nervous system, and to visualize healing, also helps us appreciate just how much a little nurturing can go a long way.

In fact, when we connect to our bodies we begin to tune into our unique body language. Think about common expressions: tingling in my scalp, chill up my spine, gives me goose bumps, and pain in the neck. These sayings reflect a mind-body connection and give us important information about our experiences and needs. The more you can nurture a relationship with your body, and the more aware you become of choices you have in self-care, the greater the chance that you will develop a new sense of body confidence.

Activity 2

About This Activity

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Body Awareness

Body Awareness

InstructionsThis activity will take approximately 10 minutes

Youll need: a quiet place to sit or lie down

Post Activity Reflexion

How did you feel before starting this activity? Was it hard to relax into your body?

Did you find it hard to sit still? How did you feel after the body scan?

Did you notice any change in how you felt about yourself?

Go to selfesteem.dove.com for more information and tips to help build body confidence and self-esteem.

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Exercise

Body Awareness Body Awareness

1. Lie down or sit in a chair with your back supported.Rest your hands on your lap or by your sides. Close your eyes, or if you like, softly look at a spot a few feet in front of you.

2. Draw your attention to the natural rhythm of your breathing. Breathe in, breathe out. Begin to notice where in your body you sense a rise and fall ... perhaps in your belly, your chest, or your shoulders.

3. As you become aware of your breath simply tune in to the sensations in your body. Breathe in, breathe out. Gently scan your body from head to toe and notice any areas where you might feel tightness.

4. Now imagine a magic wand floating above your body exuding a warm, white light. Beginning from the top of your head, this wand releases any tension around your foreheadyour temples... your jaw, your mouth.

5. As you breathe notice the tightness relaxing. Imagine the white light begins to move over your neck and your shoulders sending warmth and relaxation down your right arm and to the ends of each of your fingers tips.

6. Now the white light hovers over the left shoulder and down your left arm and to the ends of each of your fingertips. Let all the tension ooze out.

7. Now imagine the white light spreading warmth from the center of your chest around your heart space As you breathe begin to notice your chest relaxing, as if a weight is lifting.

8. Now notice the warmth spreading down to your belly, an area that often deserves some love and attention. Take your time breathing in and breathing out, allowing all tension to slip away.

9. Imagine the warm white light moving down to your hips... First gently moving down the right side from the top of the hip down the right leg... to the knee to the ankle... down to the tips of your toes and out.

10. The wand now hovers over the left side, and notice the warm healing light releasing tension from the left hip down the left leg to the knee to the ankle and down to the tips of your left toes and out. Notice the loosening in your body from head to toe.

11. Really take in what it feels like to fully relax... and feel the support under your body. Know that you have the ability at any moment through the simple awareness of your breath to be kind to your body, to release tension, and to appreciate the support it brings you... even in moments when you may feel otherwise.

12. When you are ready, open your eyes begin to focus on your surroundings. Gently begin to move. May go forward with lightness and ease.

Body AwarenessThis activity encourages us to tune in through a body scan exercise. Some women can find it difficult to articulate what they appreciate about their body. Start with some simple ideas: Our hands let us hold another, our legs let us walk and run, our smiles show our pleasure, You can make your own mental list of the amazing things bodies can do and then allow yourself to connect to your own body though the following script or the audio version of this guided body scan.

A body scan can help you learn to appreciate both the physical abili-ties of your body and the emotional signals it gives out. It also allows your mind a rest from the constant inner chatter, which can sometimes be unkind.

Follow your breathing. It will enable you to connect to your body and to relax and feel more comfortable in your skin.

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Mindful Eating

Being mindful of what you are feeding your body when it is hungry and making healthy choices is empowering. It is truly an act of self-care. Not only that, as you pay attention to every mouthful savouring each bite you can enjoy every meal, too. You can feel good knowing you are nourishing your body in the best possible way.

Today, many of us have become accustomed to mindless eating. Its becoming common to eat quick and convenient food on the go, in front of the TV or the computer. It can mean we often dont notice, appreciate or really sense what were eating or why. We can confuse eating with other hungers.

Eating mindfully means being aware of physical sensations of food and the physical sensations in your body. Savouring is the notion of taking in all the senses of what one is eating flavour, texture, and aroma. It means youre aware of when food is pleasurable or not, satisfying or not, and when youve had enough to eat.

By identifying how you experience hunger and satisfaction yourself, both physically and emotionally, you will start to develop a lifelong positive relationship with food. The following two simple activities lay a foundation for mindful eating.

Activity 3

About This Activity

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Mindful eating

Mindful Eating

Instructions

Activity one:

Savouring the sensations of food

This activity will take approximately 10 minutes

Youll need: The first time you do this, use a raisin or dried cranberry (note if you do not like raisins you can use another small piece of fruit or a nut). You can try this activity each day with a small food item that you want to savour. Savouring can be practiced with any snack or meal at any time during the day.

Post Activity Reflexion

What did you notice about eating mindfully and paying attention to every mouthful and sensation?

What did you notice about the food the taste, texture, favour, aroma?

Did you enjoy eating more when you were conscious of every sensation? What differences, if any, did you notice?

OtherTaste

Texture

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Activity One: Savouring the sensations of food

Mindful Eating Mindful Eating

1. Select a raisin and feel the weight of it. What does it feel like in your hand? What does it look like? What is its shape, size, colour, texture?

2. Think about where this raisin came from. What journey has it been on from being a seed on a farm?

3. Bring the raisin up to your nose and smell it, inhale deeply. What does it smell like? What does its smell remind you of?

4. Now taste it and notice how it feels in your mouth. Is it sweet or sour? Smooth or rough? Soft or hard? What do you notice when you bite into it? How does it feel when you chew and swallow it?

Next time you eat a meal or a snack, try this exercise again. Really experience the food and make a mental note of the sensations of the food as well as how it makes you feel.

Mindful Eating

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Look Smell

Sound

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Activity Two: Food, Mood and Mindset: Satisfying the sensation of hunger

Mindful Eating Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating

Sometimes you will find you are drawn to eating when you know you arent physically hungry but feel moody or emotionally upset. Its easy to reach for food for comfort. Perhaps you are sad, or angry or confused or even happy and food beckons you for solace or reward. This emotionally-driven eating can be confusing.

Being mindful means getting some distance from the jumbled thoughts or feelings and our inner chatter. It means recognising when we associate food with mood. As we pause to recognise the urge for emotional-eating, it gives us a chance to be compassionate towards ourselves. A shift in mindset can help you to consider what may be the best self-care choice in the moment. When you reach for comfort food, you can ask yourself: Whats the kindest thing I can do for myself right now? Is it reaching for food or is it reaching for support? Is it sitting with my feelings or taking a walk?

Here is a simple way to begin to connect the dots between your eating habits and feelings. Notice the difference between real hunger and emotional eating. Become aware of your body sensations. This means noticing when you are hungry and distinguishing this physical sensation from emotional hunger. Take a deep breath and consider your choices in the present moment.

Post ActivityReflexion

Think about your normal eating routines, are they rushed and mindless or deliberate and thoughtful?

What did you notice when you felt hungry or the urge to eat?

What connections were you able to make between your eating habits, thoughts and feelings?

Introduction

2. Now select a second example of a meal or snack time where you felt less in tune with your body. For instance, a time where you feel you could have better responded to your physical or emotional needs. Reflect on the context of this occasion in the space on the right.

1. Think about your meal and snack times over the last two days. Select one of thesetimes that you feel you ate well in response to your physical and emotional needs. Reflect on the context of this occasion in the space on the left.

Time of Day:

Where was I? What environment was I in?

Was I alone or with others?

What did I eat? How did I choose what I ate?

What were my thoughts?

What was my mood?

How did I feel after I ate?

Why did I feel this way?

Time of Day:

Where was I? What environment was I in?

Was I alone or with others?

What did I eat? How did I choose what I ate?

What were my thoughts?

What was my mood?

What prompted me to stop eating?

How did I feel after I ate?

Why did I feel this way?

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Mini-Meditation

Practicing acts of kindness to yourself and others is a way to overcome feelings of self-doubt and build our defences against societal pressures to be "perfect". It can also help overcome the tendency to withdraw from doing things because we dont feel good about the way we look, question how we measure up, and manage self-defeating thoughts and beliefs.

Learning self-kindness can help us to avoid criticising ourselves at times when we feel inadequate or feel judged by others. Practicing self-kindness can help us to recognise our negative inner critic, to recognise that its not possible to be perfect all the time and that failing or making mistakes is normal. When we accept this reality, we experience less stress and emotional anguish. One way to cultivate self-compassion is to simply ask yourself: What would I suggest to a friend in a similar situation? Or, How can I treat myself with the same tenderness I might show a loved one in need? Self-kindness also helps us relate our own personal experience of feeling emotional highs and lows to those of others, and to recognise that were not alone. This also helps build empathy and develop strong personal relationships.

Another way to be kind and gentle with yourself is to check in with your body. Your body is an exquisite emotional radar system. When we talk about a gut feeling it is because we have an intuition or hunch that we feel in our bellies. When we feel something in our heart, we know it has to do with emotions of excitement, love, happiness or sadness. These are also physical releases to emotions, such as blushing or sweating when we feel embarrassed. Knowing your bodys unique reactions to stress or upset can help you figure out how to respond to these feelings in future. For instance, you may need to take some deep breaths, take a walk, call a friend for support, or get some rest. Listen to your body!

Activity 4

About This Activity

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Mini Meditation

Mini-Meditations

InstructionsThis activity will take approximately 5 minutes for each mini-meditation

Youll need: a quiet place to sit or lie down

1. Find a comfortable position. You may be sitting in achair or lying on your back. Let your eyes close gently or focus on a spot in front of you. Let your breathing happen naturally.

Instructions

Mini-Meditations

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Mini-Meditations Mini-Meditations

2. Slowly begin to pay attention to your breathing. Notice the rhythm of your inhale as you breathe in and the exhale as you breathe out. Begin to slow it down a bit. As you breathe in you can count slowly: 1 2 3 4. As you breathe out count down, 4 3 21. Do this for a few breaths.

3. If you find your mind wandering or focusing on worries, fears or nagging thoughts, that's okay, this happens to everyone. Simply bring your attention back to your breath and notice the gentle movement of the rise and fall of your chest.

4. Begin to notice any physical sensations or areas of tensi-on that you might be feeling in your body.... perhaps in your jaw, your neck or your belly. Simply focus your attention on those areas of tension as you breathe in and breathe out, slowly feeling the relief that your breath offers.

5. Now gently place your right hand over your heart; take your left hand and place it over your right hand.

6. As you feel your hands on your heart, imagine that you're holding a favourite pet or a sleeping baby. Be open to the tender feelings that may arise. Notice if the tension in your body begins to lessen, or any unkind or nagging thoughts start to disappear.

9. Take a few breaths in and out at your own pace, and when youre ready you can gently open your eyes and begin to pay attention to the world around you.

7. As you experience these warm and tender feelings, you may tell yourself these words:I am worthy.I am unique and I am enough just the way I am.May I be kind to myself, May I be kind to others, May I feel at peace.

8. Whenever you notice your mind wandering come back to these loving and kind sayings. When you feel that your life is getting too full of pressure or too complicated, know that you can always return to your breathing and place your hands on your heart. Tell yourself everything will be okay. It's a way to show yourself compassion.

Post Activity Reflexion

Think about why its important to be able to let go of negative feelings towards yourself. How did you feel when you showed yourself self-kindness?

Was it difficult or easy to be genuinely kind to yourself?

How did it feel to tune in your body, focus attention to your heart and your belly?

How did you feel after taking a few minutes to relax and visualize?

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Power Poses

Research shows that our posture and the way we hold our bodies impacts how confident we feel and how anxious we can become. Standing strong and looking confident and powerful even when we dont feel like it on the inside - can stimulate the release of confidence-producing hormones and can lower anxiety. It also sends a message to others that youre feeling open and self-assured. You can practice a pose of strength in a private space before a challenging situation, like delivering a presentation at work, demonstrating a project or speaking up.

This activity helps you connect your body language with your thoughts and feelings to help you be the best version of you, today.

Activity 5

About This Activity

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Power Poses

Power Poses

InstructionsThis activity will take approximately 15 minutes

Youll need: a quiet place

Post Activity Reflexion

To feel the difference, try demonstrating typical body language you would display if you were feeling anxious, sad, insecure (e.g. slumped shoulders, making your body small by folding your arms and legs like a pretzel).

How did you feel once you practiced a powerful pose in response to the same feelings?

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Activity One

Power Poses

Power Poses

1 The way we hold and position our bodies can impact the way we feel on the inside. Sometimes, even when we dont feel great on the inside, we can make ourselves feel stronger and more able to succeed if we make ourselves look more confident on the outside. Think about how you are feeling within yourself right now. Make a note of these feelings.

3 Now position your body in that same confident way and hold it for two minutes. Imagine yourself in a social or work situation feeling calm, confident and in control

Instructions

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2 Visualise yourself at a time when you have felt most confident. How are you standing? How are you holding your head? And your arms? Imagine how you would stand at work, at a party, if you did feel confident.

4 After two minutes in this pose, write down what you noticed about your feelings. Did you notice a change in how you felt before and after this exercise?

Power Poses

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Activity TwoPower Poses

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Power Poses Power Poses

Instructions 1 Take a look at the poses illustrated below.

Example poses of people with strong confidence?

Example poses of people with less confidence?

2 Choose one of the strong, confident poses and strike that pose, holding it for two minutes. You may feel a bit self-conscious but really go for it! The more you really commit to the pose, the more you will feel the difference.

3 After two minutes in this pose, write down what you noticed about your feelings. Did you notice a change in how you felt before and after this exercise?

Next time youre in a situation where you need to feel confident, try striking one of these poses for a couple of minutes in private beforehand. It might help give you the boost you need!

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About the author

More from the Dove Self-Esteem Project

Mindful Me A mindfulness activity guide for mentors of girls

The aim of Mindful Me is to help girls become more mindful and curious about their thoughts, feelings and the pressures they may experience about their body, their looks and growing up. The Mindful Me activity guide, developed with psychologists, experts and pioneers in body image and girl development, helps girls build body confidence and self-esteem. The activities included focus on body awareness, mindfulness, self-kindness, empowerment, and positive emotions. This guide contains instructions on how to progress through each activity, and also gives advice on some of the conversations that may follow. Visit selfesteem.dove.com to download a copy.

Confident Me Body confidence workshops for schools

This series of workshops have been designed to help students all around the world learn ways to challenge and resist appearance pressures effectively, to develop body confidence. Student learning is facilitated through class discussion and small group activities, with the addition of video stimuli and activity worksheets. There are two different formats available for teachers to download: a five- part workshop series which addresses challenging unrealistic sociocultural ideals of appearance, media literacy with respect to these ideals, reducing appearance comparisons and appearance conversations and encouraging body activism and positive behaviour change; and a single session workshop which addresses some of the most important themes from the five-part series In contrast to programs that simply raise awareness of body image issues, research has shown that students who participate in Confident Me have improved body image, greater body appreciation, higher self-esteem and feel more confident to participate in social and academic activities. Visit selfesteem.dove.com to learn more.

free-being-me.com Body confidence activity guides for groups

Free Being Me encourages girls and young women to celebrate their individuality and to challenge the myth of the perfect appearance created by society. It has been created in partnership with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and is available for two age groups: one for groups of 7-10 year olds and one for groups of 11-14 year olds. Visit free-being-me.com for more information and to download the activity kits.

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More from the Dove Self-Esteem Project

Dr Nancy Etcoff is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Harvard Medical School,and a research psychologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry in the US, where she directs the Program in Aesthetics and Well Being. Etcoff has conducted research on the perception of beauty and emotion for more than 20 years and lectures on the science of happiness at Harvard and at international forums such as TED She has previously worked with Dove consulting on the creation of its Campaign for Real Beauty as well as advising on the Dove Self-Esteem Project since its inception in 2004.

Dr Etcoff is the author of Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty, which was the subject of a one-hour Discovery Channel programme.

Dr Tara Cousineau is a clinical psychologist and nationally recognized women's self-esteem expert, serving as one of 12 global ambassadors for the Dove Self Esteem Project. She is also certified in the Daring Way Method, based on the research by Dr. Brene Brown. As a social entrepreneur, she has received funding from the National Institutes of Health in the US to develop a mobile wellness platform. The upcoming BodiMojo app (www.BodiMojo.com) delivers bite-sized tips and skills on mindfulness, self compassion and self-care for children and adolescents suffering with a physical or emotional health condition. She is a contributing expert to Doves Self Esteem Project, HuffPost Parents and SavvyAuntie.com. Dr. Tara lives in Boston, Massachusetts with her two teenage daughters.

selfesteem.dove.comAn online support hub for parents

Everything on selfesteem.dove.com is designed to help girls overcome beauty-related anxieties that stop them from being happy and confident. The articles and activities on the site are grounded in research and the insights of real parents, and written by expert psychologists and popular commentators on girls body confidence and self-esteem. Recent research has shown that by reading the articles on the site, mothers are better equipped to help their daughters build higher self-esteem. Visit selfesteem.dove.com and read more.

About the authors

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Appendix

and others. Several studies show a link between the benefits of mindfulness on self-esteem (Pepping, C.A., ODonovan, & Davis, 2014; Pepping et al, 2015). There are numerous books, CDs, and apps that teach women how to engage in mindfulness practices, suggesting that mindfulness has found its way into mainstream culture.

Self-Compassion, Mindfulness and Body Image: An emerging area of study

The scientific literature is just emerging on the benefit of mindfulness and self-compassion on body image, weight concerns and eating disorders. The study of self-compassion and body image suggests new prevention and intervention programs that build upon the previous, robust self-esteem literature. Specifically, self-compassion focuses less on self-evaluation and external validation and more on internal awareness and acceptance. The majority of the emerging work on self-compassion, mindfulness and body image has been done with college students and adult women. The literature below serves as a starting point for considering new interventions, resources, and empowerment programs that may be created and adapted for girls.

To highlight 4 recent findings from our reading list:

Webb & Forman (2013) found that greater self-compassion was related to less binge eating severity.

Wasylkiw, MacKinnon & MacLellan (2012) showed that high self-compassion predicted fewer body concerns independent of level of self-esteem. High scores on self-compassion also predicted less eating guilt independent of self-esteem.

Atkinson & Wade (2014) demonstrated the short-term efficacy of a mindfulness-based approach in reducing the risk of disordered eating. Mindfulness participants showed significant improvements relative to the women in the control group for weight and shape concern, dietary restraint, thin ideal internalization, eating disorder symptoms and related psychosocial impairment.

Albertson, Neff & Dill-Shacklford (2014) demonstrated in a randomized-controlled trial that women who listened to self-compassion audio meditations experienced significantly greater reductions in body dissatisfaction, body shame, and contingent self-worth based on appearance, as well as improvements in self-compassion and body appreciation compared to a control group. All improvements were maintained 3 months later.

These studies are important in building an evidence-base for future controlled and longitudinal studies.

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Appendix

Tara Cousineau, PhD and Nancy Etcoff, PhDDSEP Global Advisory BoardMarch 2015

Mindfulness in Women: A robust literature

The Dove Self Esteem Project is offering a new set of tools to increase body confidence in women. These simple and effective tools teach women how to be mindful, aware and present in their bodies. As such, various skills are presented in the Mindful Me Guide for Women that show women how to cultivate compassion and kindness toward themselves and others, how to quick-start feelings of empowerment through simple poses and imaginative exercises, and how to be mindful though simple means such as meditations, savoring positive emotions and mindful eating. Importantly, these skills may help women foster a sense of self-esteem and body confidence, and better understand the mind-body connection.

The field of positive psychology has been at the center of the next chapter or new wave of techniques, including mindfulness and self-compassion. Prevention programs and interventions are being tested and many have been found to be effective in a number of settings: medical and mind-body centers, in psychotherapy for depression and anxiety (Piet & Hougaard 2011), and in a wide range of eating disorder prevention and intervention studies (Katterman, et al, 2014; O Reilly, et al., 2014; Olson & Emery, 2014). Our list of key references represents some of this work and supports Doves continued goal to ground their tools in evidence-based research.

Mindfulness has been defined as the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by-moment (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). A growing literature has highlighted the cognitive and emotional benefits of mindfulness, including increased attention and emotional regulation through the neurological changes associated with regular mindfulness practice (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). Meta-analyses of mindfulness interventions have shown robust effects in reducing stress in individuals with a range of concerns (Chiesa A, Serretti, 2009; Grossman , Niemann , Schmidt & Walach, 2004). In many studies over the past decade mindfulness-based techniques have been shown to be effective in increasing self-confidence and resilience and in lessening self-criticism, social comparison and avoidance of emotions and experiences. Kabat-Zin (2003) developed the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, which is now used all over the world. MBSR includes a number of techniques such as body scan, meditation, mindful eating, yoga,

Making the Connection:Mindfulness, Body Confidence & Self-EsteemSummary

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A powerful synthesis

Our tools synthesize a mindfulness-based approach with powerful insights and evidence-based tools from positive psychology (What Went Well), psychoanalytic based work on emotional hunger (Food, Mood, and Mindset) and social psychology (Power Poses).

To highlight a few key works:

In a randomized, controlled study Seligman et al (2005) demonstrated that people who practiced the What Went Well exercise daily reported greater happiness and less depression one month later, and showed further improvements in mood three months and six months later

Orbachs (2002) psychoanalytically based tools show women how to distinguish between true hunger and emotion based eating, and allow them to disengage from unsuccessful dieting and food denial. For decades, Orbach has taught women how to eat pleasurably based on an awareness of the body signals of true hunger and fullness.

Carney et al (2010) and Cuddy et al (in press) demonstrate that by simply becoming aware of our body language and consciously shifting the signs we give ourselves and others of our confidence, competence and power, we can change our cortisol levels (stress hormones) and testosterone in two minutes, and even improve performance on a job interview

In summary, mindfulness-based strategies and compassion-focused intervention combined with strategies from positive psychology and embodiment theories may provide useful and efficient means to help women and girls manage anxieties around beauty and body image.

Select References:

Albertson, E. R., Neff, K. D., & Dill-Shackleford, K. E. (2014). Self-Compassion and Body Dissatisfaction in Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief Meditation Intervention. Mindfulness, 1-11.

Atkinson, M.J., & Wade, T.D. (2014). Does mindfulness have potential in eating disorders prevention? A preliminary controlled trial with young adult women. Early Intervention in Psychiatry. doi:10.1111/eip.12160

Carney, Dana R., Amy J.C. Cuddy, and Andy J. Yap. (2010) "Power Posing: Brief Nonverbal Displays Affect Neuroendocrine Levels and Risk Tolerance." Psychological Science 21, no. 10: 13631368.

Chiesa A, Serretti A. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for stress management in healthy people: a review and meta-analysis. The journal of alternative and complementary medicine 2009; 15:593-600.

Cuddy, Amy, Caroline A. Wilmuth, Andy J. Yap, and Dana R. Carney. (in press) Preparatory Power Posing Affects Nonverbal Presence and Job Interview Outcomes." Journal of Applied Psychology

Dehghani, F., Amiri, S., Molavi, H., & Neshat-Doost, H.T. (2014). Effectiveness of mindfulness based cognitive therapy on female elementary students with generalized anxiety disorder. International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Research, 3(3), 59-165.

Grossman P, Niemann L, Schmidt S, Walach H. Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits: A meta-analysis. Journal of psychosomatic research 2004;57:35-43.

Greco, L.A. , Barnett, E.R., Blomquist, K.K. & Gevers, A. (2008). Acceptance, body image and health in adolescence. In L. A. Greco & S. C. Hayes (Eds.), Acceptance and mindfulness treatments for children and adolescents, Oakland, CA: New Harbinger (pp. 187 -214).

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. ClinicalPsychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 144156. doi:10.1093/clipsy/bpg016

Katterman, S. N., Kleinman, B. M., Hood, M. M., Nackers, L. M., & Corsica, J. (2014). Mindfulness meditation as an intervention for binge eating, emotional eating, and weight loss: A systematic review. Eating Behaviors, 15(2),197-204.

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Wasylkiw, L., MacKinnon, A.L., & MacLellan, A.M. (2012). Exploring the link between self-compassion and body image in university women. Body Image, 9(2), 236245.

Webb, J.B.. & Forman, M.J. (2013). Evaluating the indirect effect of self-compassion on binge eating severity through cognitiveaffective self-regulatory pathways. Eating Behaviors, 14(2), 224-228.

Other Resource:

American Mindfulness Research Association info@goAMRA.orghttps://goamra.org/resources/find-program/

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Mantzios, M.,Wilson,J.C.(2015).Mindfulness, Eating behaviours, and obesity: A review andReflection on current findings, Current Obesity Reports.[link]

Marchand WR. Neural mechanisms of mindfulness and meditation: Evidence from neuroimaging studies. World Journal of Radiology 2014;6:471.

Orbach, S. (2002) On eating. London: Penguin Books.

OReilly, G. A., Cook, L., Spruijt-Metz, D., & Black, D. S. (2014). Mindfulness-based interventions for obesity-related eating behaviours: A literature review. Obesity Reviews, 15(6), 453-461.Olson, K. L., & Emery, C. F. (2014). Mindfulness and weight loss: A systematic review. Psychosomatic Medicine. in press.

Piet, J. Hougaard, E. (2011). The effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for prevention of relapse in recurrent major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 3(6), 10321040.

Pepping, C.A,., ODonovan A, b, Zimmer-Gembeck, M.J., Hanisch, M. (2015) Individual differences in attachment and eating pathology: The mediating role of mindfulness, Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 75, 2429

Pepping, C.A., ODonovan, A., & Davis, P. J. (2014). The positive effects of mindfulness on self-esteem. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8(5) 376-386.

Neff, K. D. & McGeehee, P. (2010). Self-compassion and psychological resilience among adolescents and young adults. Self and Identity, 9, 225-240.

Neff, K. D. & Vonk, R. (2009). Self-compassion versus global self-esteem: Two different ways of relating to oneself. Journal of Personality, 77, 23-50. http://self-compassion.org/UTserver/pubs/NeffVonk.pdf

Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60, 410- 421.

Smeets, E., Neff, K., Alberts, H., & Peters, M. (2014). Meeting Suffering With Kindness: Effects of a Brief SelfCompassion Intervention for Female College Students. Journal of clinical psychology. http://self-compassion.org/UTserver/pubs/Smeets3week.pdf

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