How you think about your own body may affect your mental health, according to a March 5 presentation and panel discussion held by the SRJC PEERS Coalition.
The PEERS Coalition is a Student Health Services program led by students to raise awareness of Student Mental Health.
The presentation opened with a slideshow that offered information on body-conscious psychological factors such as body dysmorphia, a mental disorder where someone focuses on a perceived flaw in their appearance.
Maria Arreguin, an SRJC PEERS member, emphasized the importance of social media in body image. “Everyone spends a lot of their time on it and it’s important for people to be able to be comfortable in their own body.”
After a brief intermission, a panel of students and faculty shared their personal experiences with their body image.
Aside from the students and faculty, the presentation was also attended by Paco Cano, Debbie Gulling and Lexie Sullins, representatives of the California HOPE program, a federally funded organization that provides free counseling and emotional support for people impacted by natural disasters in Sonoma County.
