Discovering Positive Body Image Central Phoenix

By Liz Martin

Central Phoenix one n ten had a special guest for this week’s group. Phoenix’s own Herbalista, Luisa Valdez, led a group discussion on positive body image and sense of self. The chairs in the room were set up in a circle to facilitate an inclusive group conversation. Luisa began the evening by asking everyone in the room to say one thing about themselves that they really liked.

The dialogue then moved in to the topic of sense of self and the importance of knowing who you are. Many of the youth spoke up about their own experience with lack of sense of self, the effects it had on their lives, and how they changed it. The group discussed peer pressure and susceptibility to it based on your level of self esteem. Luisa posed the question of how could you increase your sense of self. The group answered with solutions of setting and achieving small goals for yourself, surrounding yourself with positive people, and having a few confidants you can trust and lean on.

Toward the end of the conversation, everyone in the group partnered up for an activity. Each partner told the other person one thing about them that they admired. The feedback from this exercise was positive. It made the participants feel good about themselves and helped them realize their positive impact on others. The evening was concluded by a short meditation to solidify the positive learning from the evening.