In today’s society with
social media being such a large part of modern day culture we sometimes get
caught up in the perfection that is on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook,
and so on – that we forget to love ourselves and forget remember that there are
sooo many photo editing apps out there;
what you see in a picture is not always what is a reality. Today’s guest post Brigitte
has written a wonderful article on how to love and accept your body again.
Do you feel tired of waking up every morning and the first
thought being what you are going to put on to make yourself look as thin and as
photoshopped as you can? How much makeup do you have to apply to look “acceptable”
or how little should you eat for breakfast to have the perfect body? All of
these insecurities tend to come up around summer, because it’s the season when
everyone is wearing revealing clothing and you are double bombarded with ads
talking about the “perfect bikini body”. It stops today. Reclaim your love for your body with these healthy practices.
Be Your Body’s Friend
I was never as happy as when I started seeing all the things my
body does for me and how much it loves me. From that day on, I decided I’m
going to be my body’s friend. When you look at your thick thighs, don’t hate
them because they spread out when you sit, thank them for allowing you to walk,
run, jump, ride a bike, walk you down the aisle and into the next chapters of
your life. Instead of hating your stomach, consider how soft and comfortable it
is for someone to lay their head upon. Cuddle yourself without the boundaries
of what society defines as beautiful, and you will notice some amazing things
about your body you never before dared to love. Remember, when it comes down to
it, it’s you and your body against the world, so make sure you learn to be its
friend, not an enemy.
Follow Real People
A big reason why so many of us have problems with our body image
is that we are surrounded by unrealistic ideals that are telling us that that’s
“normal” and that we should all strive to be like that. And as much as we tell
ourselves that these pictures aren’t real, we also need to give our mind
something real to look at. Fill your Instagram feed with people of color, fat people, differently abled
people and everyone who will show you that people of all shapes and sizes not
only exist, but are absolutely beautiful – and so are you. Pay attention to how
the people in your life that you look up to don’t all look the same and
understand that that’s not what defines them, and it’s not what defines you
either.
Altering Your Image
No, altering your image doesn’t mean you hate yourself. If
you’ve gone through a traumatic event that left you with scars, or you have a
deformation like a nose deviatio nor tuberous breasts, the correction of which can have not only
aesthetic benefits, but medical ones, you shouldn’t feel ashamed for having it
altered. If changing your hair color makes you feel more confident, that
doesn’t mean that you hate your body for having a different natural hair color.
As long as you are not doing anything to damage your body on purpose, it’s
perfectly fine to allow yourself to have any procedure you want. Of course, you
have a duty towards yourself to do all the research in the world to find the
best place to do it, and you should never ever be changing your body because
someone else wants you to.
Diet and Exercise
The trickiest of them all. How can we talk about loving
ourselves and accepting ourselves as we are and yet still go to the gym five
times per week? Easy! Because exercising and eating healthy aren’t meant to
change the way you look, they are meant to keep you healthy
and celebrate what your body can do. You should never exercise to punish
yourself for something you ate or the way you look, but rather treat yourself
to doing something that your body will love. Take care of your body because you
love it, not because you want to change it. If you love going to the gym, then
go because you love it and because it makes you stronger, faster and more
flexible, not because you want to shrink yourself. The exact same goes for a
balanced diet. Diets, cleanses and miracle pills do not work and you will only
be harming yourself if you try to force your body into something it’s not
comfortable with. Unless you have a medical reason why you can’t trust your
body’s signals, then listen to it and be intuitive. Eat when you are hungry and
eat what your body is craving and stop when you are full.
Loving your body, especially if you’ve been at war with it for a
long time, is a process, and you need to give it all the time it needs. But
every day, thank your body for keeping you alive and treat it like the home it is. And if you feel like you are suffering from an
eating disorder or body dysmorphia, please talk to a mental health specialist
ASAP.
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