Every day it feels we’re surrounded by images of perfect bodies, dressed in their perfect styles, and enjoying the perfect day with all their wonderful friends. It’s hard to see these things so often and not become critical of our own situation, since we may feel we don’t have the same body, style, and carefree friends. This is when we start to feel less-than-comfortable with our appearance, which can lead to some very serious physical and emotional problems.
How can you change from always criticizing yourself to feeling good about our less than perfect bodies?
It’s important to remember that many of those people with their “perfect” bodies still have their own body image issues. Why? Because once you fall into the cycle of always expecting perfection, you can get caught in a trap of constantly seeing flaws. It’s a never-ending cycle that can’t be changed just by telling someone to stop comparing themselves to others. You can’t simply tell someone to be happy with the way they are and expect their lives to immediately turn around.
There are, however, some actionable things you can do to start improving your attitude and begin loving your body, no matter what shape it’s currently in.
Express Yourself
Get your real feelings out into the open. It doesn’t matter if you speak to a friend, write things in a journal, or find a more creative outlet. If you keep everything locked up inside your head, it can quickly lead to depression and isolation as you constantly analyze yourself. Get these feelings out where they can be seen, and you’ll have a much better shot at understanding them.
Focus on Others
Doing something good for someone else or volunteering can allow you to start getting outside of yourself a little more. When you meet others, focus on the things they say or what they have going on inside of them, rather than their physical appearance, and you can start expecting the same treatment in turn.
Trust Yourself
While it’s fine to seek someone else’s opinion on something, in the end you have to trust yourself to make your own decisions and create your own perceptions. Someone may have a suggestion about style or proper exercise, but in the end, you have to trust your ability to make the choice that is right for you. You might also consider messages from family or friends about your body or your style. Do you agree or disagree? What are your core values or core beliefs that shape who you really are?
Accept Compliments
It’s easy to be cynical. It’s even easier to hear criticism instead of a compliment when the words they use don’t match our own self image. Listen to their words and be ready to take the compliment at face value.
Despite the images that bombard us every day, it is possible to be happy with our bodies and build self respect. It can be hard, and these images have left many people with eating disorders, self-esteem problems, and feeling lonely or depressed. But if you take real action – not just talk about being okay with yourself – you can start to accept and love your less than perfect body.
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