If you are having a hard time feeling good about yourself lately then the first thing that you need to do is know that you are not alone. There are so many other people out there who feel the same way that you do, and by taking the time to really focus on yourself, you can be sure to feel better.
AVOID MEDIA
What you read on social media, and what you read on the internet really can have a huge impact on the way that you see yourself. There are a lot of image-focused pages out there, and even TV shows too. Try and avoid them for a little while and see how this affects you. If you want to help yourself even more then consider seeking out anything that will help to reinforce your self-image. Gravitate towards body positive online spaces and stay away from anything that makes you feel bad about your image or your mental health.
TALK POSITIVELY ABOUT YOUR APPEARENCE
If someone comes up to you and they talk about the way that they look in a disparaging way, then try and deflect the conversation. Ask them how they are feeling, how they have been sleeping, what they’ve done for their wellbeing recently or even when they’ve last had a break from social media. All of these points can help a person to feel better in themselves and it can also stop those negative feelings from coming back if you or they carry these kind of things out. The next time you find yourself thinking about all the things you hate about yourself, instead, focus on what you can do to make a change, or how you can feel better. This could involve sleeping in on a Saturday morning, going out on a brisk walk or not going on your phone first time on a morning.
PAMPER YOURSELF
Think about it, when was the last time you went for a haircut? When was the last time you went to for a spa day? Or even the last time you had your nails done? All of these can help you to reinforce the way that you feel about yourself and it can also make you feel incredible too. When you do this, you will reinforce a good relationship between your mind and your body, and it will can help you to feel more confident too. After all, who doesn’t feel good after going to the spa, or being pampered? Plus it can also make you feel more relaxed and chilled out, especially if you don’t take your phone with you and stay offline while you’re there.
Of course there may be more lasting treatments that you might look into doing such as wrinkle reduction treatments and you could look into somewhere like Juvea Medical and Aesthetics to do so. What is important to realise here that many looks are trend driven with aesthetics- take Kylie Jenners lips for example. It’s important to not do anything because it is a fad or a trend or because you feel as though society and the media are pushing you to do so. You need to find happiness in yourself as a priority, don’t seek happiness through anything else- learn to love yourself as you are now and if theres something that you want to work on, for you and you alone then go for it. I have a friend who turned 50 last year and she really disliked the lines around her mouth that she’d developed through age and smoking. She’d quit smoking for good but hated seeing the lines. She had filler placed in this area by a doctor at a really reputable clinic that she’d done lots of research on and she loved the result. She wasn’t doing it for anyone but herself and loved how much it changed her skin.
MEDITATE
Meditation can be a very powerful tool. If you have never tried it before then now is most certainly the time for you to get started. It can help you to break any unhelpful cycles you are going through right now, and it can also help you to practice self-affirmation. If you have never tried meditation before then you can easily download an app to help you get started. This will talk you through what you need to do, and it will also help you to really get in the zone. You can even plug in some headphones and do it while on the go if you want!
EAT WELL
Eating well means being mindful of the food that you are eating. It helps to be aware of the nutrients that your body needs, and it also means ditching the foods that might compromise your health. For example, if you are constantly eating takeaways or if you are always eating more sugar than you should, then this can have a huge impact on your physical and mental health. It’s all about balance; don’t punish or even completely restrict yourself from anything unless it’s because of something medically like an allergen.
It could be the case that certain foods make you feel unwell when you eat them or give have an adverse effect on your digestive system, which is what was happening to me for years with dairy. The best thing that I did was to have an intolerance test which found that I had a severe intolerance to cows milk protein. Since going completely dairy free, my health has massively improved- the psoriasis I’d had for 13 years as cleared completely!
TAKE YOUR TIME
When getting ready in the morning, you need to take your time. Put on your favourite perfume, a nice top or your favourite jeans. When you have done this, decide which jewellery you want to wear. If you don’t normally wear any then take the time to push yourself and put some on anyway. When you find something that compliments your outfit, wear it with pride. This will boost your confidence and it will also help you to feel that little bit better when you step out the front door. You also need to think about how the clothes you wear can affect your mood too. For example, if you wear a baggy t-shirt then this may make you feel more comfortable around the house, but it won’t do much for you when you go out and about.
Of course, it’s entirely possible for your body confidence to lower over time, but it’s also more than possible for you to increase it too. It works both ways, so if you’re feeling pretty bad about yourself right now, don’t dwell on it, and know that only you can change the way that you feel.
