Did you know that according to research, 84% of American women will eventually feel discontented with their bodies?
Not liking yourself or how your body appears is not uncommon, and learning to love yourself can be challenging when this is your situation. Unfortunately, positive body image campaigns don’t always work as smoothly.
Time and deliberate effort will be necessary in order to transition from feeling discontented about your appearance, “I don’t look good,” to more positive feelings towards it.
Here is everything you need to know about body positivity!
Why Should You Respect Your Body?
Source: popsugar.com
Loving yourself and appreciating your body are both challenging feats to overcome, yet one of the greatest gifts you can do for yourself is learning to appreciate what is yours – despite any flaws or characteristics that might cause self-criticism. Rather, strive to appreciate every inch of it.
There are four important reasons to cherish and take care of your body!
1. Your Body Can Do Amazing Things
Your bodies allow us to move about, explore the world and lead fulfilling lives – think of all of the amazing feats your body will enable you to accomplish every day!
2. It Is Special
Your body is truly special – no one else possesses it like yours! Additionally, we only get so much time on Earth; why waste it worrying over how it appears and regretting who we are as people?
3. There Is No Ideal Body The concept of an ideal body varies with each individual; some might view yours as perfect while others don’t agree!
4. Your Health Is Most Valuable
In terms of physical appearance, mental wellbeing should take precedence over physical beauty. A life coach can help shift your focus from appearance-related goals to health goals; encouraging you to concentrate more on how your body feels rather than how it looks; setting realistic health goals with you as they work toward attainment; setting achievable health goals together is part of their job description!
11 Ways to Love Your Body
Source: Inc.com
Meditation is an amazing way to connect with yourself and cultivate self-loving thoughts. Practice it anytime your ideas are flying out and your life feels overwhelming; all it requires is finding a calm space where you can close your eyes, breathe slowly and think positively about everything good in your life.
Finding Books
Connect with yourself through books is key to mental well-being and self-love. Visit a bookstore with self-love books on display to see which ones resonate most with you as you browse this section of books.
3. Mirror Work
You likely see yourself every day, which could make seeing yourself unpleasant for many people. Instead of taking mental dialogue literally and taking it personally when looking in the mirror, tell yourself “I love you,” instead – even if this goes against any unreasonable feelings you have!
Self-talk can be extremely powerful. Additionally, you could try posting positive notes to yourself with encouraging and motivational messages on the mirror.
Beginning each day with kindness for both yourself and your body will strengthen the bond between yourself and yourself.
4. Gratitude
One effective way to strengthen self-love and increase happiness is incorporating gratitude into daily activities – and all it takes to start this habit is a journal!
Be thankful every morning and evening before bed. Doing this is an easy and heartfelt way to give thanks for yourself and celebrate life – and even better when done before sleeping! Doing this exercise gives us an opportunity to appreciate our bodies!
5. Get Creative with Your Body Exploring new ways of experiencing your body by pushing past comfort zones can unlock its true potential and offer new experiences.
Experimenting with various forms of exercise, dancing, learning intuitive food consumption or participating in sensual picture shoots are all proven to increase self-love.
6. Conquer Fatphobia
Do you struggle with feeling self-conscious about being overweight? To combat fatphobia and feel comfortable in your own skin.
Fatphobia occurs when there is intense fear or loathing for being fat, similar to homophobia (fear of gay people) except it affects obese individuals instead.
What exactly is wrong with being overweight, you might ask? While obesity can lead to numerous severe health problems, stress is also known for leading to similar effects – yet many don’t respond as strongly when the subject comes up than when obese persons do – unlike with obesity which often results in poor treatment from doctors and workplace discrimination – all because of fatphobia.
Now is the time to address your fears surrounding obesity by accepting yourself, supporting other big people, and speaking up when students make disparaging remarks against overweight students.
7. Improve the way that you speak to yourself
Source: Huffpost.com mes No matter how often someone tells you your body is perfect as-is, you won’t fully accept that without giving it some effort yourself. Therefore, stop criticizing it both internally and externally.
Wallowing about your body won’t help you become healthier, slimmer or learn to love it any faster. Disrespect for it makes taking good care more challenging so make a point to nip any negative thoughts in the bud as soon as you recognize they appear in your thoughts. Give yourself a quick nudge whenever a thought crosses your mind that goes off track – don’t wait until they become ingrained before correcting yourself.
At least, don’t give away the strength of your thoughts by speaking them aloud. Don’t give away your body to another individual either.
8. Compliment People Have you noticed how we all tend to criticize others when we feel self-conscious about our own bodies? Everyone does it. Instead, try giving people compliments when making comparisons or criticizing other’s bodies instead – we all do.
So, you should actively look for positive characteristics in others and give compliments based on these. Compliments needn’t just focus on physical appearance. I often try to remind other ladies (or random people) that “I am on your team,” by smiling at them regularly.
I think we tend to be harshest critics of those aspects of ourselves which cause the most self-consciousness, so be wary if you find yourself frequently criticizing someone else’s appearance; that may be a clue as to how you feel about your body.
9. Be wary of who you spend your time with
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Do you find yourself spending too much time discussing other people, their weight gain or loss, or discussing life problems without finding any resolution? Take a closer look at your time together – maybe meeting in group environments would help break up this cycle of body shaming?
10. Seek Assistance
Self-love means asking for assistance, and most people want to support you during difficult times. Having someone by your side is often one of the best ways to cope during trying times – though it can be challenging opening up and seeking support.
Doing it alone is okay; that is key. One gift you can give yourself is asking for assistance when needed.
11. Dress Your Body Lovingly Feeling self-conscious about your body may lead to subconscious or conscious attempts at hiding or downplaying any “problem areas,” reinforcing negative body image and shame. By wearing clothing designed to hide these areas as much as possible or minimize attention drawn by them, self-conscious people often unwittingly reinforce negative body perception and feelings of shame about their physical features.
Dress your body like it were a piece of art. Be mindful, aware and expressive in how you dress yourself; indulge in some retail therapy if possible and invest in outfits that flatter your figure. By wearing our bodies deliberately we give them the respect and love they deserve while simultaneously communicating to ourselves and others that this body is appreciated and beloved.
Takeaway
Remember that loving oneself encompasses many facets. Just as in any relationship, your relationship with yourself requires care, tolerance, and love just like any other relationship in your life. These are just some ways you can practice loving yourself; discover what brings joy and wellbeing by engaging in various self-care practices.
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