SELF IMAGE

Activity 1: Celebrity Poll

Ask the students to write on piece of paper the name of a living celebrity. (It can be a popular person from any field - arts/science/sports/politics). Once they are done, ask around for the names they have written. Keep count of the names and group the celebrity names into categories like arts/science/sports/politics. See which category has more names.

Debrief: Ask the students to give a reason why they admire the person they wrote. Ask if they would like to become like them? This activity gives a hint into the minds of the students of what they like and admire in life. It will help take the lesson forward.

Lesson Point 1: Who am I?

• We all have a self-image. It is how we appear to ourselves. Self-image is the idea we have of our abilities, appearance, and personality. It is very important to understand how we look at ourselves because how we evaluate ourselves will determine our decisions and convictions.

• Today self-image or self-worth for most young people is determined by:

○ How do I look?

○ What are my achievements/talents?

○ Do others like me?

○ What do I own?

○ How much can I spend?

There is a huge problem of defining our self-worth in this manner. We are uniquely created human beings with a different set of talents. Albert Einstein is said to have made this observation, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” When we compare ourselves with someone with a different or superior talent, we are bound to be discouraged.

• We live in a world where most of our choices in life is heavily influenced by media. It has come to an extent where our very identity is being defined by what is shown in TV and the internet. What we wear, what we eat, what we speak, how we behave and what is right and wrong are all being told to us through movies, music and ads. In this race to follow the trend and be cool, we often forget that what is shown to us on screen is mostly fake and unreal. The media screams for our attention. Unless we have the right understanding about ourselves, unless we have the right self-image, we will never be good enough in our own eyes.

VIDEO 1: Dove real beauty ad

Debrief: So, how many of you are influenced by these type of ads? Be honest! (Let the students answer). The true face of advertising. We can never look like these photoshopped models!

Lesson Point 2: My true identity!

• All the gadgets, machines and art that we see around us have creators. Though we buy it for a price, the true worth of that object can only be determined by the creator. We too have a Creator - the one who designed us, the one who sustains us each day and the only one who knows our destiny. Only God, our creator, can determine our worth.

• Just consider the human body for a minute. How marvelous it is!! Here are some amazing facts about the human body:

○ Each cell of our body has 3 metres of DNA in it. If each DNA molecule is stretched, the total length will be 10 billion miles of DNA. It would stretch to the moon and back almost 1500 times!

○ Our circulatory system is amazing. We have over 60,000 miles long of blood vessels. That is almost three times the circumference of the earth. Our heart beats 1,00,000 times a day and pumps over 7000 litres of blood per day! Imagine the heart skipping even one beat!!

○ Our eyes take photographs equivalent to 576 Megapixel camera! Imagine the memory needed to store those images if it were a phone!

○ We smell, hear and see, all in stereo, yet our brains get only one single signal!

○ Our fingerprints are unique. No one else can claim to have ours!

We can go on and on about the brilliance of our bodies! The more we research, the more awe inspired we become!

• Not just the human body, the human brain is mightier than the most advanced computers. Here are some mind-blowing facts:

○ Our brains have more than 70 billion neurons (10,000 crore)

○ Nerve connections are called synapses. Our brains have more than – 100 trillion connections. If even a few of those connections were mismatched while we were in our mother’s womb, we would have had serious physical deformities.

○ Even the biggest supercomputers trying to simulate the brain functioning are nowhere near! IBM Dawn is one such supercomputer, it is 3000 sq. ft using 8 MW power trying to simulate a human brain which is 1.5 kg!

• If we have such an incredibly complex body and an unbelievable brain, why do we feel insecure and inferior? Why do keep comparing with others and look for approval? We are insecure and inferior and look to external sources to improve our self-worth. This causes all the evil we see in this world today - hate, wars, murder, rapes and everything else.

VIDEO 2 : Nick Vujicic shows how a positive attitude will improve your life

Debrief: A story of someone who will be seen as a failure by most people but he has gone from a life without limbs to a life without limits. What about you?(Let the students answer). Stop listening to the lies that the world tells you. Stop defining your self-worth based on what the media throws at you. Work on your inner beauty which will last longer than your outer one. You are precious. You are valued by God. You are unique.

Lesson Point 3: Fostering a positive self-image

· Practice Self-Acceptance. A positive self-image is not about thinking you're perfect, because nobody is perfect. Even if you think some other kids are good at everything, you can be sure they have things they're good at and things that are difficult for them. So stop comparing. Understand that God does not make mistakes and accept yourself for who you are.

Christina Caradona, a famous model revealed to her 131,000 Instagram followers that she doesn't show her "whole face" in selfies because she is "self-conscious" of her "weird eyes".

Her disbelieving fans responded: “Are you crazy?!”, "I would give anything to look like you! “,"What?! You're so beautiful!"

· Practice Self-Improvement. Self-acceptance should always be followed by self-improvement. It’s always good to work on your weaknesses. There is no need to be upset, hurt or discouraged about your weaknesses. Do what you can to improve at what you’re not good at, then draw a line and say “This is who I am”.

· Practice Self-Assertiveness. Shift away from a socially conditioned mindset. You don’t have to do everything that the society tells you to. STAND FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN. Be grounded in what you believe in under pressure and it’s ok to be 100% unapologetic about it. E.g. If I’m a person who does not believe in consuming alcohol and my friends ask me to go with them to have a drink, I would say “No”.It will end up as guys having respect for me. This would in turn boost my self-esteem.

· Stop the negative self-talk. Sometimes, there is this mental chatter that goes on in the head telling us of how big a failure we are or that we are not good enough or that we are hopeless. As soon as you hear the chatter make sure that you shut off to it. Do not entertain any negative thoughts in your head because thoughts influence actions.

Praise yourself enough. Replace the negative thoughts with the good ones. Remind yourself of things you're good at and if you can't think of anything, ask someone else! Tell yourself that you’re good enough and that you can do anything that challenges you. If you don’t say it, no one will. If you don’t believe it, no one will.

· Get away from people who tear you down. It’s true that people always remember your mistakes for a very long time. Make sure that you get away from these people who remind you of your mistakes often and pull you down. If it’s your closest friend or family who you cannot avoid, try talking to them about how the way they speak to you is affecting you.

· Focus on others and not on yourself. A lot of our self-image issues comes from a place of selfishness. We are always thinking about our self. For a change focus on the people around you.

o Praise the positive behavior you see in others and give a boost to their self- image

o Give those around you a smile

o Give them a word of encouragement

If you struggle with a serious self-image problem, do not hesitate to share it with a mature person who can help you overcome.

Activity 2: Self-Concept Questionnaire

(This can be also used as a 1 on 1 counselling questionnaire). Have students reflect and answer these questions in groups or individually:

Describe yourself:

· What are your personal characteristics?

· What are your strengths?

· What are your fears or weaknesses?

· Tell about some things you do or have done in the past that give you a sense of achievement or accomplishment.

Describe your body.

· What do you like the most about your body?

· What do you like the least about your body?