Loving your body no matter what sounds easier said than done, but with consistent effort and unlearning things we’ve been taught to hate about our bodies, we can all learn to love ourselves.
Why learn to love yourself? Well, you’re the only one who has to live with you forever. Spending your life being mean to yourself and wishing you were different is a huge waste of time. Once you get into that all-important self-love mindset, you’ll feel much better day-to-day, and you’ll realize how the media works to give us our insecurities. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can get on this journey:
FIND THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF
Start by switching from fear to gratitude and listing things you like about yourself, no matter how small these things may be to start with. Give yourself compliments in the mirror. Appreciate your body parts for the different things they do for you, without you having to think about it at all. When you notice yourself going on a negative self-talk spiral, remind yourself that it’s your old conditioning creeping back in and change the script.
FIGURE OUT WHERE YOUR INSECURITIES CAME FROM
Try to examine where your insecurities may have started. Beauty magazines? Critical parents or toxic friends? If women weren’t always slaughtered in the media and their appearances cruelly judged, we likely wouldn’t give things like belly rolls and cellulite a second thought. They are natural, and nothing to be ashamed of! You could look into non-surgical fat reduction, but it’s so important to remember that it won’t solve all of your problems if your mindset is not in the right place.
STOP COMPARING YOURSELF
Stop comparing yourself to others. Know that people only post their highlights online, and often edit their pictures. They also know their best angles! Unfollow accounts that make you question your worth, as there are many toxic influencers out there. If you have toxic people in your life, drop them too.
WORK ON YOUR HEALTH – WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE
Health looks different for different people. It is not a size. It’s not abs, or being able to run a marathon. In fact, people with the most lean and athletic looking bodies in the world may not be as healthy as they seem. Take care of your health with nutrition and regular movement, but do it for the happy hormones. Do it because you enjoy it!
It’s so important to recognize that looking different will not change the way you feel about yourself. If you have self-esteem and body image issues present, you might think that losing weight or having work done will make you love yourself. While this may improve confidence for a small number of people, there’s a reason people go back for more and more work, and why the goalposts are always changing. Loving yourself no matter what is key to eternal happiness. Bodies and looks change throughout life and seasons for so many reasons. When you love yourself, your confidence will shine through no matter what you look like.
