Drawing our personalities...

As part of this project, a few months ago I tested out an activity with a friend of mine, as we sat down to lunch one afternoon. I created this activity to see how we see ourselves compared to how others see us. I didn't really know what to expect but was really moved by the results.

You can see the actual pictures at 

https://www.facebook.com/Lifeline2013

What we did:

1.     With a piece of paper each, draw a picture of how you see yourself, then label the physical features that you see. For example 'big chin', 'short' etc...be honest with how you describe yourself and what you see.

2.     Take a new piece of paper each and draw each other and describe what you see physically and personality-wise (making sure the opposite person doesn't see what you've put!)

3.     Then at the end, put together the picture that you drew of yourself and the picture your friend drew of you, and compare the two. 

4.     Without discussing what you feel with your friend, write how you feel on a piece of paper at that moment. You can then discuss your findings and give each other a hug :)

When I finished this I felt different. It was as if a warm wave had come up from my heart, to know that someone thought I was beautiful when I did not. It’s not surprising that we all see like this, but it is at the same time when we see how similar our thoughts are on the subject. It’s important to know that some people don’t think the same way you do; not everyone thinks about the way you look every time they see you, they won’t all start to judge you from the minute they set eyes on you.

What other people think of you isn’t important; what’s important is the way you think about yourself.

This is a great activity for anyone who wants to work on a positive body image, and help encourage their friends to see themselves in a brighter light. It’s a simple, easy task and you don’t have to be an artist to try it out. All you need to do is to be honest and open minded to the ways you see yourself and how your view of body image has made you think that certain way.