Social media, Photoshop, and fake standards of beauty have left many women questioning the way they look. Over the years, this has completely changed the way we look at a natural body.
Do you sometimes compare yourself with how others look?
Well, you are not alone. 70% of women between the ages 15 to 35 are not happy with their body looks. Actually, 45% of males have also shown a significant disliking towards their physical appearance.
This concept of fake body standards has caused severe dissatisfaction to people. It requires a revolution to change the mindsets of millions of people who follow this temporary salvation daily.
How Can I Change the Way I Think About My Body?
Loving your body can be more challenging than you think it is. However, if you are willing to make a change, there are countless ways to improve your concept of body positivity. Keep on reading this article to see the most effective ways to become confident and positively happy about the way you look!
Give Yourself Positive Affirmations
Most of you may question the reason behind praising your own self. “Why does it even matter if the world isn’t willing to?” Right? Wrong! Positive affirmations are actually among the most effective ways to change your mindset. You need to tell yourself that your body is enough and be grateful for it.
Instead of nit-picking and looking at the negatives, look at all the positive things your body has and does for you. There are plenty of body-positive mantras on Pinterest and Google but if they don’t help you, reflect upon the way you look.
This may seem silly to some but, it will work. Trust the process and stop comparing yourself. If you need daily encouragement, get a large neon board in front of your bed that reminds you of who you are.
Get Rid of the Scale
Although staying within a healthy weight range is an ideal situation, you really do not need 6 packs and the waist of a Victoria’s Secret model to be happy. Weighing every day can become an obsession that can lead to frustration and, ultimately, poor lifestyle choices. Just get rid of that bathroom scale, or at least stop stepping on it every day.
Many heavier women who seem perfectly happy have mentioned struggling with the scales and feeling disappointed every time they step on them. We need to understand that the numbers scales show does not define your worth as a person, and it has nothing to do with your looks. It is just your weirdly consistent relationship with the Earth.
Bigger women wish they were a bit smaller, and smaller women wish to be a bit plumper than what they are now. This is all an unwanted and frustrating cycle to make your body-conscious. If you are healthy, mobile, and do not have health complications, there is no point in being frustrated over the weight.
Compliment Other People
One of the worst things about being unhappy with your body is that you become extremely critical of looks and physical appearances. We sometimes end up judging other people for our insecurities. This harsh attitude towards others is a projection of our thoughts and what we think about ourselves.
When we open our hearts to accept others and be kinder no matter how they look, it gives us the strength to see our bodies positively. It does not matter whether a 300 lb. woman is eating Pringles or cashews. It also does not matter what a coworker chooses to wear at work.
However, if you choose to give them a compliment about their most attractive feature, it would surely make their day.
Think of a compliment that you have always wanted to hear from people. Now give it to someone else and see how it makes their day. Making people happy will also give you a sense of happiness within yourself.
Learn to Embrace and Accept Compliments
We all are trying to make ourselves better. Just like you, someone else might find you really attractive. One of the biggest problems with body-conscious people is that they can’t embrace and accept compliments.
If you are unable to accept a compliment, it simply means that you are putting yourself down. When you get a compliment, be grateful and show your gratitude towards the person by saying words like “Thank you for noticing” or “it means a lot.” Many people who say “Thank you but…” end up undervaluing themselves. Other than this, it may give out a vibe that you are fishing for more compliments. So, instead of saying something negative about your body every time a person compliments you, show gratitude and believe what they said was true.
Surround Yourself with Positivity
Negative messages regarding body image exist vastly, and they have a way of infiltrating our minds and antagonizing our fears. This might include Photoshop pictures of supermodels on billboards, negative people in your life, and even body-negative posts on social media. People who spend a lot of time browsing social media have a seriously negative perception of their bodies as compared to those who don’t. To be happy, you need to eliminate this kind of negativity from your life.
Hide all the posts from your pages that make you question the way you look. This includes fake Photoshop celebrities, fad diet plans with extremely edited pictures, negative people, and online trolls.
Keep your social media private and surround yourself with people who love and appreciate you for who you are. People who practice self-love and appreciation are the people who will motivate you to stay happy the way you look.
Focus On Becoming Healthier, Not Skinnier
We all know that health is wealth. But being healthy does not mean that you have to be very skinny. When cooking a nice meal or hitting the gym, do not focus on getting skinnier because it will get you nowhere.
Exercise and a healthy diet play a crucial role in your mindset, but they only make you feel better if you intend to keep one goal in mind – your physical and mental health. Instead of restricting your fitness goals to a number on the scale, focus on how you can enjoy life while getting healthy and not missing out on your fun things simultaneously.
Nourish your body with delicious meals and give it good exercise to get healthy.
You will start to see positive changes within a few weeks. Understand that it really doesn’t matter whether you are using cashew flour or regular flour to make your cookies. If you are not eating out of stress and damaging your body on purpose, munching here and there doesn’t matter much.
Body positivity is a constant struggle for many women around the world. Over the years, fake beauty standards have completely taken over our lives and changed the way we look at things. Suppose you are struggling with positivity and mental peace regarding the way you look. In that case, this article will help you become more accepting of your physical appearance. Just surrounding yourself with positive people and making healthier choices will help you feel a lot better about yourself and your body.
