Our project focuses on the various ways to improve and love yourself. Our selected risk factors are those that increase the risk of developing mental disorders based on self-image issues. Specific examples include having a negative inner dialogue, high stress levels, self-isolation, and lack of access to mental health help.

Negative inner dialogue is the breeding ground for destructive behaviors and is the starting point for the other risk factors. Someone with a negative inner dialogue might catch themselves constantly putting themselves down, while someone with high stress levels may be constantly overwhelmed. It's normal to reflect and be stressed, but it's also important to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy behaviors. 

In today's digital age, more and more teens report feeling alone and feel like they don't have anyone to listen to them. This ties into the final risk factor: not being able to ask for help. Many resources are available to teens today, and some of the major hotlines are listed in our website. 

In our posts, we first identified specific risk factors, educating people about them, and then provided methods for self-betterment.

The protective factors we've chosen to convey are coming up with healthy coping strategies, practicing self-empowerment, and building social connections. Our posts are structured in a way where we cover a topic every day and provide healthy coping mechanisms for viewers to try out.   

Healthy coping strategies and self-empowerment are two of our major values and most of our posts center around these ideas. We also provide different ways to interact with peers, as establishing face-to-face relationships can greatly boost self-esteem.

How did we choose these factors? 

Many of our friends are affected by these risk factors and are so focused on appeasing other people that they forget to take care of themselves. Seeing our peers struggle in real-time led our team to choose self-care as a main topic. Self-care is closely tied to maintaining a positive inner dialogue, which allowed us to come up with the rest of our risk and protective factors.