If you struggle to love and accept your body as it is, you are not alone. I have not met anyone who has told me that they would not change anything about their body, including people who are very fit or have very high self-esteem. It happens to all of us, to be too hard on ourselves. It is almost as if we are forced to find something wrong or that we have been conditioned, especially as women, to think that feeling good about our bodies makes us selfish.
Insecurity can start at a young age, probably because of advertising and the pressures of social media. However, I assure you, it is not worth being constantly angry with yourself. By taking the time to do it, it is possible to learn to accept and even love our bodies. Trust me.
First of all, I am not a mental health professional, I am really speaking from my personal experience. If I can help just one person with this article, it will be mission accomplished.
THE OPINION OF OTHERS DOES NOT DEFINE ME
I have learned over time that what others think of me does not define me in any way. On the other hand, the way others look at me can block us and prevent us from acting. When some people allow themselves to criticize us, it can affect us, but in no case will their opinion define me and who I am. Whether you care about what others think of me or not depends mainly on you. It is true that it requires some work on yourself, but it is entirely possible to distance yourself from this view.
JUST MY BODY
My personal thing is to tell myself that my body is JUST my body. It serves as my transportation, my home, it's thanks to it that I can get through my days, and it's also my best ally.
Along the same lines, the following phrase is circulating on social media like TikTok and it really resonates with me. "Your body is the least interesting thing about you." I find it comforting, it makes me forget about the appearance of my body, which already concerns me enough. This phrase/trend tells us that our body is not that important, that your energy, your personality and everything else matters so much more!
THE COMPARISON
Instead of falling into the toxic cycle of comparison, I invite you to identify the moments when you compare yourself to a person X and realize that this comparison leads nowhere. You must in this time, accept your individuality, what makes you unique. Comparing yourself to others is anxiety-provoking and unrealistic. No one is perfect, whatever the meaning of the word "perfect".
SELF-LOVE
I also advise you to make a list of what you like about yourself and what you are grateful for. Give yourself 5 to 20 minutes for this introspection exercise, you will see at the beginning it is really not easy, it is normal, it is rare that we take a moment to compliment ourselves. First think about the compliments you receive, and write it down! This will be the beginning. It can be the color of your eyes, your personality, your good faith or even your smile.
INTUITION
Then, another way to learn to love your body and especially to accept it, is to connect to your intuition. In my opinion, it is the ultimate source of self-love, self-acceptance and protection. Intuition is accessible to everyone, without judgment or obligation to perform. What is intuition? It is this little inner voice that tells you what is good or not for you, it is your guidance. I like to think of the love we receive from our intuition as the love of our pets - unconditional.
I hope these tips will help you chart your course on your path to self-love. You know, in my opinion it is a constant work that lasts a lifetime. However, it is not worth putting off this work, the sooner you start it, the sooner you will be grateful for it. For my part, I like to integrate items into my daily life that serve as a reminder that I am 100% deserving of the love I give myself, and that I must remain gentle with myself. If you want to try this little trick, here are my suggestions.