1. Stop comparing yourself to others!
What is the purpose of comparing yourself to others in the first place? Comparison critiques your body against others, and no one wins here. This approach just reinforces the values that how a person looks is most important.
Besides, when you are comparing yourself to photoshopped images of models and celebrities, you are comparing yourself to an image that is not even the real person in the first place!!!!
Instead of appreciating the unique aspects of life we all bring, comparisons create judgments.
Appreciate the diversity inherent in body sizes. Everyone is unique in their own ways and thank goodness. Can you imagine how dull life would be if we were all the same?
Besides, your body appearance fluctuates based on the time of the month, day, and stage of life.
2. Recognize bodies change over time.
There are various stages of life where our bodies change over time. Each stage has unique aspects that are key to helping you during that stage of life.
You may not always appreciate how your hips are larger than they were in high school. But in a few years, when you fall off a chair onto your hip, that extra cushion may just keep you from breaking a bone.
Sadly, I hear people trying to get back to the size they were in high school. This goal is not healthy for most people and news flash, you were a KID in high school! Perhaps you just want to go back to when you did not have all the extra stress, like paying bills, taxes, and cleaning your house!
3. Find ways to move your body.
Bodies are meant to be in motion. This is not about burning calories or achieving a number on the scale. By moving your body in a way that feels good for you, you can enjoy the benefits of physical movement.
When you have stiff muscles, you do not feel very good in your body. When your body does not feel good, you have more frustration with your body.
Not only does being active help you to feel better about your body, but you experience the added benefit of reducing stress, as well as increasing your stamina, flexibility, and strength.
4. View content that is supportive for a better body image
Consider what your social media feed looks like and how the content you view impacts how you feel about your body. When scrolling on social media, you see accounts you have liked and content the algorithms think you want to see.
What you see influences how you feel about yourself. If you are constantly exposing your eyes and mind to diet culture messages that are punitive, no wonder you do not feel good about your body.
These messages keep the focus away from the values that really matter to you and instead put messages into your mind from targeted ads. You know, the ones that want to sell you their miracle product or program.
The whole premise used in marketing these potions, pills, and programs is you could be better by changing what you have on the outside. When you see people talking about drastic changes like before and after images, your mind starts telling you that maybe that will help you feel better.
Deep down you know you are not getting the entire picture. You do not hear what a person has gone through to make changes and how miserable they are, or what happens after they stop using the miracle pill. Better yet, what about all the side effects that are underreported?
Instead, focus on the diversity in all bodies doing wonderful things. I love to watch shows and see my social media scroll with people of all sizes, shapes, backgrounds, and colors completing activities they enjoy.
Curate content so you see people appreciating what their bodies do for them and living life with the values that are important to them..
5. Do something for yourself every day that makes you feel good.
Doing something for yourself is self-care. People feel better about themselves when they are taking care of themselves. If you are on the hamster wheel of life and always on the go, with little time for yourself, the lack of time for yourself impacts how you feel.
That is right, your poor body image could be because you are not taking time to do something enjoyable in your body.
Take time to nourish your body, mind, and soul.
Self-care ideas you can do for yourself include:
- taking a bath
- Reading a few pages in a book
- spending time on a craft
- learning a new skill
- visiting a friend
- spending time outside in nature
- get a manicure
- calling a family member
- cooking a new recipe
- Practicing mindful breathing
- volunteering to help others
- Spending time reading the bible
Doing something for yourself daily helps to remove yourself from stress, which is felt in your body. By taking your mind off stress and performing enriching activities, your body feels better.