A lot of women in the modern world have a negative body image. I used to be one of them. I was talking to me “I look too old,” looking at me in the mirror. But I learned how to remove it. Let me share it with you.
Body image is an image or perspective, which we have about our own body such as, weight, skin, hair, the shape or size of a certain body part, and so on. It is irrespective of how we actually look. In most cases, only you are concerned about it and other people don't care.
Our body image impacts our mental and physical health.
Unfortunately, our society is trying hard to make us have a negative body image.
TV, movies, TV commercials, magazines, social media, or even your friends and family… They praise slim and young bodies, connoting we are not good enough if we are not slim and young.
When we think we are not good enough, we feel sad and disappointed. Our energy level declines. A negative body image does not serve us at all!!
Then how can we keep a good body image?
This is what I stopped to get a better body image.
I stopped
Repetitive body checking in the mirror
When I check myself in the mirror, I am always checking how I look, judging myself. I am telling me I am not beautiful enough. This doesn't help me at all! We don’t have to check ourselves in the mirror so often.
Instead of checking how I look, I appreciate the function of my skin, hair, and fat. I say “thank you my skin. You are protecting me from sunlight,” instead of saying “oh no… I have so many wrinkles.”
2. Commenting on other people’s bodies, either negatively or positively
I used to tell my friends something like “have you lost weight?” expecting they had been trying to lose weight. I thought this would please them. But we never know. They might have been sick and lost weight against her hope. Or I used to say “you look so fresh today.” But this implied she was not so fresh usually. I don’t want to make anyone feel negative about their body because of what I say.
3. Commenting on my body, either negatively or positively
A negative comment on my body reduces my self-esteem, so we must avoid it.
Then, how about a positive comment on me?
Positive comments on myself can trigger a criticism/judgment in your chatting partner. For example, if I say “my skin looks so nice today,” my friend might think “oh… she minds her skin condition… is she judging my skin? My skin condition is not good today. I don’t feel good.”
Ultimately, we are not our weight, skin, hair, nor certain body parts. Our value does not depend on my appearance.
Somebody may come to me and make a negative comment on my body.
Then... may I have the courage to say to him or her “I appreciate your concern about my body, but I don’t feel good when someone comments on it.”
Try above and see if this helps to raise your body image, and let us know.
Leave your tips to improve your body image in the comment section below.
Join our newsletter from the website below.
Comments