Self-esteem, posture: How the pandemic has changed our relationships to our bodies

IS self-confidence part of the collateral damage of the covid-19 pandemic? An American study reveals that lockdowns and working from home have significantly impacted the way we perceive our bodies and have been detrimental to our self-esteem.

Self-confidence and the pandemic clearly do not go together. We already know that the global pandemic has had a major impact on the mental health of the world's population, but we are now learning that it has also had an impact on the way we see ourselves in the mirror. More than half of Americans (51%) say the pandemic has had a negative impact on how they view their bodies today, according to a study conducted by OnePoll Massage Envy.

Will we have to learn to love ourselves again once the health crisis is over? This is the question that may be asked after reading this American survey. Nearly half of the people surveyed (49%) say that they don't have the same level of confidence that they did before covid-19, and 42% even confessed that they no longer feel at home in their bodies. Even more surprisingly, 40% of respondents admit that they have not recognized their own reflection in front of a mirror at least once since the beginning of the health crisis.

Over time, the body suffers from all the measures taken to curb the pandemic, starting with the successive lockdowns and the implementation of home working. If you have managed to set up an optimal workspace in your home, you are one of the lucky ones -- most of us found ourselves in positions of bad posture while working from the couch. And these new habits can indeed shape our bodies. No less than 47% of Americans consider that their body is suffering in a new way since the beginning of the pandemic. A finding that might seem worrisome if the respondents had not already decided to take things in hand.

For a majority of Americans (67%), this will involve improving their energy levels. But many will also address back problems (44%) and improving their posture (43%) as soon as possible. Thirty-seven percent believe that a massage could help them regain confidence. However, 40% of respondents believe they need professional help to get their bodies back into pre-pandemic shape.

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This study was conducted by OnePoll for Massage Envy among 2,000 American consumers.