Physical Self-esteem: Accept Your Body
You do not want to look in the mirror, you are afraid to take photos and you have even edited photos of yourself on the computer to fix the “ugly” parts of your body. Fashion, social pressure and comparison are all enemies that cause a lot of damage and take away from you the love you have for your own body.
The body, understood as the physical being that allows you to act in the external world, is an extremely important part of yourself. Your body, your emotions and your thoughts form a whole that sets you apart from everyone else. Today’s beauty ideals and misconceptions about health have led you to hate the shell you live in.
To offer your body the respect it deserves, you should start by understanding it. It’s not a villain who wants to hurt you. It actually behaves perfectly usually, and you can find a great ally in all its complexity, especially if you know how to interpret its signs.
Even when you do not take care of it enough, your body is a shield that protects you from outside attacks. You are probably one who often harms this special friend by eating unhealthy foods, losing excess weight or not exercising enough.
This body you hate so much, that you do not want to see reflected in the mirror, that you hide from your partner by turning off the lights when you become intimate or that you cover with specific clothes, is the one that will accompany you for the rest of your life. You have the power to change and improve it, but sometimes this is incompatible with what you want.
The media, advertising and society are so powerful that they can make girls stop eating to look like models or get boys to go to the gym and lift weights to become as attractive as Hollywood stars.
But the meaning of “beauty” when it comes to the body is quite relative and changes over time. During the Renaissance, for example, beautiful women were larger. In Arab culture, too thin women are sometimes not greeted by men. And there are dozens of other examples.
Your body is the best technology you have. Do you want to change part of it? Of course, everything can be improved. But that does not mean you have to hate what it is right now.
Most people are dissatisfied with their bodies. Slim people try to be more curvy while others want to be slimmer. Tall people are tired of seeing the world from above, and short people want to be taken more seriously.
If you do not like your body, you should know that you are just like the majority of the population. Think about the following questions: Why do you not like it? What do you not like about it? How can you improve it? Are there specific parts of it that you do not like?
If you want to change a part of your body, think about whether the modification is necessary. Identify the reason why you want to make this change. Is it because you do not like it, or because you compare it with other people? In any case , you should talk to a professional and let this person give you advice if you are really sure of what you want.
Accepting your body does not mean sitting still and not changing anything. This means that you start the day by loving yourself and understanding your beauty, inside and out. An exercise that can help you is to stand in front of the mirror, if possible without clothes, and analyze every inch while paying attention to what you see and how it makes you feel.
You may reject it at first, but after a few minutes you will get used to it. Focus on your hair, your face, your upper body, your legs. Stay at the parts of the body you like the most, your shoulders, your eyes, etc.).
Then look at the parts you do not like. But this time, instead of criticizing them, try something else: accept them. It may seem simple in theory, but in practice it is more difficult.
Do you have eyes that let you see? A mind that allows you to evaluate? A nose that lets you breathe? Bones that go where you tell them? Skin that feels touch? A beating heart? Take a look at your body from a fair perspective, not through judgmental lenses produced by the media.
In addition to observing yourself, another way to give your body a helping hand is to pay attention to what it is doing. This involves being aware of it when you shower and not letting your mind wander to what to do afterwards, playing sports and feeling your heart pounding faster or walking and feeling the freedom of movement.
In conclusion , do not forget all the people who want a body like yours, because they really exist. Accept your shape, your irregularities, your contours and your size. You are more than just the container that holds you; you are also your thoughts, ideas and feelings.
