Games

What if men are to blame for the rise in obesity? Is it because they eat more and do not exercise enough? Can men be the cause of rising interest rates? Are women to blame for the rise in obesity?

While these are questions society is still wrestling with, what can we say about the root causes? Yes, there is a rise in obesity in both genders. However, some studies suggest that this spike in obesity may be due to male behavior, while others believe otherwise, suggesting an alternate theory that there could be something else going on. Both theories have their benefits; however, which one prevails depends on our definition of masculinity, as well as how “masculine” we consider ourselves and our ideals. How does being called “masculine” relate to one’s sense of self? It is through self-esteem.

Self-esteem refers to people’s perceptions of themselves. This includes aspects such as how the person sees him or herself, whether he or she thinks they are competent or not, and the kind of feelings he or she holds for themselves. In other words, it is people’s idea of whether they like themselves or hate themselves. To put things into perspective, it is common knowledge that a healthy body comes from eating right and exercising regularly. A weak body, on the other hand, goes beyond these actions; in fact, the very concept of a body and its functions becomes unimportant to the individual.

This leads us to some important points. First, most individuals believe that self-esteem is a good thing and improves over time. Unfortunately, this is untrue; people who are successful, intelligent, athletic, or charismatic are often plagued by low self-esteem. For example, a doctor would treat patients differently without their intelligence because they did not see them as smart enough to handle certain treatments. The same logic applies to self-worth. People who believe they are inadequate can lose confidence and become depressed. Furthermore, having low self-esteem is a sign of insecurity. Someone who feels insecure or inferior would not feel confident. Moreover, once people begin to view themselves negatively, many times they can no longer see themselves positively. Therefore, low self-esteem tends to lower overall personal satisfaction and lead to poor health. Thus, to build healthy relationships with oneself, and to increase happiness, many people turn to self-love or self-worth. Self-love is also when you focus solely on yourself, viewing yourself for your benefit rather than for someone. By doing so, you permit yourself to be happy when you truly want to be happy. On the other hand, self-worth allows you to view yourself for how others see you. You no longer allow yourself to think that you can only see yourself from the outside. Instead, you recognize who you are at different levels and appreciate it. Ultimately, self-respecting others are essential to your well-being.

The final point I want to make is that having low self-esteem is not always bad. There are times when having low self-esteem can help us grow as human beings. If you are feeling low, ask yourself whether that should affect your perception of yourself and others around you. If you think that doing so will change your outlook on life, it probably won’t. If there’s anything that has helped me over the years, it has been my mindset. When I am down, all I want to do is to stop thinking about it. Then, once the thought has left my mind, I take on new projects and continue my daily routine without worrying about failure. While this was not meant to sound like a positive statement, it helped help me get back up. Likewise, if someone tells me that I am worthless, I respond better if I know that I am not valuable to anyone but myself. Having high self-esteem gives me more hope than those who feel insecure or low on self-worth. However, we cannot ignore negative thoughts in our lives. They might be negative thoughts about yourself. Negative thoughts usually take the form of doubting yourself or believing that you will never succeed. So don’t let negative thoughts rule your mind. Just accept them as facts. As you start working on your mental health, you will notice improvements in both your physical and mental well-being.