Taylor - Body image workbook for teens: Activities to Help Girls Develop a Healthy Body Image in an Image-Obsessed World

Julia V. Taylor, MA, is author of Salvaging Sisterhood and Perfectly You, and is coauthor of G.I.R.L.S. (Girls in Real Life Situations) and The Bullying Workbook for Teens. Taylor has worked as a middle and high school counselor and has a passion for empowering girls to stand up to unrealistic media expectations, take healthy risks, and cultivate meaningful relationships. Visit her online at www.juliavtaylor.com.

Foreword writer Melissa Atkins Wardy is the author of Redefining Girly and the owner of Pigtail Pals & Ballcap Buddies, an online boutique offering empowering childrens apparel. Find her at www.pigtailpals.com.

The Body Image Workbook for Teens gives girls indispensable tools to develop a positive body image. But, just as importantly, the exercises help girls develop important critical thinking skills. The book is compassionate, direct, and gives girls the opportunity to do whats best for themselves. I cant wait to use the wisdom in these pages with the girls I work with!

Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees & Wannabes, the book that inspired the motion picture, Mean Girls

With her expert wisdom and her trustworthy tone, Julia V. Taylor offers a brilliant workbook that naturally guides teen girls to get to know and love their authentic selves. Filled with activities and peer anecdotes, this book helps girls identify the specific steps to confidently navigate the journey toward self-love. This workbook is a refreshingly reliable and relatable resource for teens. It is validating, empowering, and very honestly acknowledges how real these struggles are for girls today. In a world where women and girls are battling a very real confidence crisis, The Body Image Workbook for Teens serves as a key part of the solution.

Haley Kilpatrick, founder and CEO of Girl Talk and author of The Drama Years: Real Girls Talk about Surviving Middle SchoolBullies, Brands, Body Image, and More

When Im asked to recommend the best curricula for girls, I always turn to Julia V. Taylors work. There are few educators who understand girls as well as her, and The Body Image Workbook for Teens is an exceptional example. In this book, Taylor delves beneath the surface of body image distress to help girls own their strengths and value their bodies for what they arenot what they look like. I highly recommend this much-needed tool and look forward to using it myself.

Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Out, Odd Girl Speaks Out, and The Curse of the Good Girl

Finding the right tone to connect with teens about body image and body esteem can be a challenge, but The Body Image Workbook for Teens hits the mark. The anecdotes, examples, and exercises are pitched perfectly for a teen audience. They capture day-to-day experiences that can undermine teens self-confidence and provide clear strategies for navigating esteem minefields. An excellent resource to align professionals with teens. All will benefit from affirming strategies that help you value yourself for who you are, not how you look.

Cynthia Bulik, PhD, author of The Woman in the Mirror: How to Stop Confusing What You Look Like with Who You Are

Julia V. Taylors The Body Image Workbook for Teens is a much-needed antidote to the negative influence media and cultural messages can have on the psyche of the developing adolescent. Educators, school counselors, therapists, parents, and of course, teensthis is the tool we have been waiting for!

Lisa Flynn, founder and director of ChildLight Yoga and Yoga 4 Classrooms, and author of Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck and Yoga for Children: 200+ Yoga Poses, Breathing Exercises, and Meditations for Healthier, Happier, More Resilient Children

With the growing need for more tangible, practical discussion around body image and self-esteem, this workbook serves as a much-needed resource for teens, educators, and parents everywhere. With its easy-to-follow nature, rewarding exercises, and real-life examples to work off of, readers will gain insight on how to discover their true feelings and begin the journey toward self-love and acceptance.

Jess Weiner, self-esteem expert and social messaging strategist

Publishers Note

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Copyright 2014 by Julia V. Taylor

Instant Help Books

An Imprint of New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

5674 Shattuck Avenue

Oakland, CA 94609

www.newharbinger.com

Cover design by Amy Shoup; Edited by Gretel Hakanson; Acquired by Tesilya Hanauer

All Rights Reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file

ePub ISBN: 9781626250208

Dear Reader:

Being a girl in todays world isnt easy. How you feel about yourself and your body can be terribly complicated. There are many factors that can contribute to an unhealthy body image. Our society is saturated with unrealistic expectations about beauty and weight. You can read an article in a magazine about increasing your self-esteem, only to find the next page plastered with diet ads. Its hypocritical and wildly confusing. In addition, there is a ton of intense pressure on teenagers that stems from many sources. From school to friendships to relationships to family issues, it always seems like a balancing act. Sometimes you lose yourself along the way.

The good news is you have the power and ability to change your relationship with your body. I recently saw a quote that I absolutely love. It reads, You will find a girl prettier than me, smarter than me, and funnier than me, but you will never find a girl just like me. What an important message to send to girls and women, young and old. Its completely true and a great reminder that it is our differences that make beauty beautiful.

This book is designed to help you understand and overcome your body image woes. You will tackle the wide variety of issues that often contribute to an unhealthy body image in order to gain the self-confidence you need to move forward. Working through the activities in this book might not be easy, but it will be worth it. And youre worth it.

Because at the end of each day, week, month, and year, you have this: your body.

You own it.

Take good care of it.

After all, there is only one you.

Best,

Julia