People with a healthy body image feel good about their bodies most of the time. Of course, even someone with a healthy body image might have moments or days when they don’t feel great about their body. It’s OK to have up and down days about your body.

Someone with a healthy body image bounces back quicker and more easily after feeling bad about their body and doesn’t become distracted by what they wish they could change about themselves. People with an unhealthy body image feel bad about their bodies most of the time. They may make decisions in their lives that they think will make them feel better about their bodies, but those decisions may not always be healthy.

People who have an unhealthy body image have a hard time finding something they like about their body. Their bodies make them unhappy. And even if they try to make changes to their appearance—like coloring their hair or losing weight—there’s always something else they want to “fix” or change, because their negative feelings run deeper than the surface.

Sometimes, people with an unhealthy and negative body image become obsessed with their appearance. They may even suffer from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), which means they literally see things when they look in the mirror that other people wouldn’t see. These aren’t just things like being unhappy with how a part of your body looks. Those with BDD actually have a distorted body image and see things that aren’t there.

If you or someone you know is really obsessed or preoccupied with his or her body, he or she might have a bigger problem.
If you have an unhealthy body image, know that you’re not alone. Many people feel this way at different times in their lives, but there is no reason to live with these bad feelings. Talk to your parents or another trusted adult (a teacher, relative or clergy person, for example) about your feelings. They can help you locate a counselor or maybe help you find a support group of other teens who feel the same way. There are resources available to help you.

The key is learning how to change your attitude about your body, not changing your body or looks. You may change one part of your body you are unhappy with, but it won’t help to solve the deeper issue. It is rewarding to instead accept your body and learn to love the way you look.