appealing. In the meantime, the weight puts a strain on their heart, making them even more anxious and fretful. Others pick up the negative body signals they send out and treat them accordingly.

This reaction isolates them to some extent, pushing them further to take comfort in food and their own company – a situation which lowers their esteem even more. With there being a lot of negative stereotypes around people who are obese, especially the perception that, as they do not look after themselves, they will not look after their surroundings,

The third crucial part of the confidence triangle (achievement, belonging, and self-esteem) comes through self- acceptance. Our well-being is controlled by how we feel about ourselves. We are prone to more illnesses, more problems and more difficulties when our self-esteem is low because we tend to laugh less, often loathe ourselves and systematically lower our resistance to coping with the rigours of life. Talk about walking disasters! With a lack of confidence we make far more mistakes because we become unduly anxious, especially if we are being watched, and reduces the quality of our performance. We also appear either negative to other people (mainly through aggressive behaviour) or are excessively fawning or friendly to mask our feelings of inadequacy. In a vicious circle these actions only prompt others to reject our behaviour, which then reduces our self-acceptance and damages personal competence and confidence even further.

A smile is the biggest indicator of how we can affect the responses of other people around us. As someone once said, “A smile is the shortest distance between two strangers!” If we are being cheerful and welcoming it is difficult for someone else to be miserable, and if we sense our partner is in a bad mood we might modify our behaviour, perhaps help or ignore him, until we detect a more welcoming air. However, people with low esteem, especially those with negative body images, often find it difficult to smile, always wearing a look of misfortune which repels others. Pretending to be better than others also provides the only way for them to feel significant, but that only reduces their attraction and keeps them fixed in the same negative mode.

Self-acceptance comes only when our esteem is high. If we believe we are wonderful because of our sense of achievement and belonging, we have a high self-image. On the other hand, if we think we are worthless, we carry around a low self-esteem like a huge boulder which not only knocks out our potential but also blunts the reactions of others. Overweight people are particularly prone to this effect. They dislike their body image, being acutely aware that they are not perceived to be appealing. In the meantime, the weight puts a strain on their heart, making them even more anxious and fretful. Others pick up the negative body signals they send out and treat them accordingly.

This reaction isolates them to some extent, pushing them further to take comfort in food and their own company – a situation which lowers their esteem even more. With there being a lot of negative stereotypes around people who are obese, especially the perception that, as they do not look after themselves, they will not look after their surroundings,

ially if we are being watched, and reduces the quality of our performance. We also appear either negative to other people (mainly through aggressive behaviour) or are excessively fawning or friendly to mask our feelings of inadequacy. In a vicious circle these actions only prompt others to reject our behaviour, which then reduces our self-acceptance and damages personal competence and confidence even further.

A smile is the biggest indicator of how we can affect the responses of other people around us. As someone once said, “A smile is the shortest distance between two strangers!” If we are being cheerful and welcoming it is difficult for someone else to be miserable, and if we sense our partner is in a bad mood we might modify our behaviour, perhaps help or ignore him, until we detect a more welcoming air. However, people with low esteem, especially those with negative body images, often find it difficult to smile, always wearing a look of misfortune which repels others. Pretending to be better than others also provides the only way for them to feel significant, but that only reduces their attraction and keeps them fixed in the same negative mode.

Self-acceptance comes only when our esteem is high. If we believe we are wonderful because of our sense of achievement and belonging, we have a high self-image. On the other hand, if we think we are worthless, we carry around a low self-esteem like a huge boulder which not only knocks out our potential but also blunts the reactions of others. Overweight people are particularly prone to this effect. They dislike their body image, being acutely aware that they are not perceived to be appealing. In the meantime, the weight puts a strain on their heart, making them even more anxious and fretful. Others pick up the negative body signals they send out and treat them accordingly.

This reaction isolates them to some extent, pushing them further to take comfort in food and their own company – a situation which lowers their esteem even more. With there being a lot of negative stereotypes around people who are obese, especially the perception that, as they do not look after themselves, they will not look after their surroundings,

rtest distance between two strangers!” If we are being cheerful and welcoming it is difficult for someone else to be miserable, and if we sense our partner is in a bad mood we might modify our behaviour, perhaps help or ignore him, until we detect a more welcoming air. However, people with low esteem, especially those with negative body images, often find it difficult to smile, always wearing a look of misfortune which repels others. Pretending to be better than others also provides the only way for them to feel significant, but that only reduces their attraction and keeps them fixed in the same negative mode.

Self-acceptance comes only when our esteem is high. If we believe we are wonderful because of our sense of achievement and belonging, we have a high self-image. On the other hand, if we think we are worthless, we carry around a low self-esteem like a huge boulder which not only knocks out our potential but also blunts the reactions of others. Overweight people are particularly prone to this effect. They dislike their body image, being acutely aware that they are not perceived to be appealing. In the meantime, the weight puts a strain on their heart, making them even more anxious and fretful. Others pick up the negative body signals they send out and treat them accordingly.

This reaction isolates them to some extent, pushing them further to take comfort in food and their own company – a situation which lowers their esteem even more. With there being a lot of negative stereotypes around people who are obese, especially the perception that, as they do not look after themselves, they will not look after their surroundings,

eir attraction and keeps them fixed in the same negative mode.

Self-acceptance comes only when our esteem is high. If we believe we are wonderful because of our sense of achievement and belonging, we have a high self-image. On the other hand, if we think we are worthless, we carry around a low self-esteem like a huge boulder which not only knocks out our potential but also blunts the reactions of others. Overweight people are particularly prone to this effect. They dislike their body image, being acutely aware that they are not perceived to be appealing. In the meantime, the weight puts a strain on their heart, making them even more anxious and fretful. Others pick up the negative body signals they send out and treat them accordingly.

This reaction isolates them to some extent, pushing them further to take comfort in food and their own company – a situation which lowers their esteem even more. With there being a lot of negative stereotypes around people who are obese, especially the perception that, as they do not look after themselves, they will not look after their surroundings,

appealing. In the meantime, the weight puts a strain on their heart, making them even more anxious and fretful. Others pick up the negative body signals they send out and treat them accordingly.

This reaction isolates them to some extent, pushing them further to take comfort in food and their own company – a situation which lowers their esteem even more. With there being a lot of negative stereotypes around people who are obese, especially the perception that, as they do not look after themselves, they will not look after their surroundings, this increases their unattractiveness, robs them of opportunities and cements the isolation process.