Most people in today’s world are concerned about their looks and body image. Most often these concerns have focused on the hair, skin, weight, or the size or shape of a specific body organ for part.
However, currently, social media has a huge influence on one’s body image. According to social media, 10, slim and toned is the perfect body image. This is a huge cause behind the current rise in the population suffering from negative body image and eating disorders.
According to social media, thin, slim and toned is the perfect body image. This is a huge cause behind the current rise in the population suffering from eating disorders, stress, anxiety and other mental issues
Body image does not only stem up from what one sees on social media or the mirror. As per the national eating disorders Association (NEDA), there is a range of beliefs, generalizations and experiences which contribute to one’s body image and body negativity.
Body image has been talked, pondered and discussed about throughout history. These views have been shaped by cultural beliefs, social media, society as well as television and other forms of media networks.
However, these popular standards of beauty have not helped the common masses. Instead, they have led to a serious increase in the population suffering from eating disorders and body negativity.
People who suffer from body negativity not only feel uncomfortable in their own skin, it hamper their ability to function normally in daily life and has a negative impact on their social life, work, relationships and other areas of life. Such people are more prone to depression, stress, anxiety disorders and other mental issues.
In this article, I will discuss 15 tips which go would help you in achieving body positivity and improve your body image.
Let’s start off with,
What is body image?
Body image refers to one’s perception, beliefs and emotional attitude towards their own body. body image primarily implies
- What a specific person feels about their own appearance
- What that person feels about his or her weight shape and height
- How do they sense their body and control the movement
- How confident they are about their body.
A specific persons body image can range from positive or being comfortable in themselves to negative or feeling dissatisfied with their looks or body.
Body positivity
A person is said to have a positive body image when they understand that their own worth does not depend on their looks and appearance.
Achieving body positivity means:
- Appreciating and accepting everything of ones body like their looks and capabilities.
- Having a broad beauty concept
- Having and accepting a stable body image
- Having mental positivity
Achieving body positivity
It is very easy to say, love your own body, however, this notion is easier said than done. According to surveys, 70% off women in ages is 18-30 suffer from body negativity. On the other hand, 45% of men feel dissatisfied with their looks and body. If you are feeling down and bad about your body, remember, you are not alone.
In this article, I am going to discuss 15 tips to achieving body positivity. Start your journey of achieving body positivity with these few simple tips which can go in helping you a long way:
Practice positive affirmations
Changing the way you think will take time. This is not a one night job. It will take a while and a firm belief in yourself to start the journey of scorning body positivity
The first step in achieving body positivity is practicing self love. When it feels hard to be raspy about your body, you must practice self affirmations, loudly and as often as possible. Engage in practising self affirmations on a daily basis. Give yourself reminders and encouragements.
You can start practicing affirmations either by reciting them infant of the mirror every morning or placing sticky notes on the refrigerator or bed side table. Another way to practice self affirmations is to install encouragement on your phone or computer.
This activity may seem silly to you at first. However, this does not mean that it will not work to help you in achieving body positivity. Practice positive affirmations everyday for a period of one month without slipping. At the end of one month, you will realize that you are feeling better about your appearance and body.
Work towards a healthy body, not a skinny body
The number on the scale should not be the determinant of your fitness goals. Healthy diet and a moderate level of exercise should not be a punishment either. Too much exercise for the purpose of losing weight has shown to put a lot of pressure on the heart. Such people land up with heart diseases. Therefore, your aim must be to achieve a healthy body. If you are overweight, yes you must work to lose weight. However, this work must never involve you starving yourself or over exercising, as both are harmful. and will not help you in achieving body positivity
Focus on how much your body has helped you become who you are. Focus on your strength, on all the incredible things you can do, thanks to your body. Focus on the amazing experiences your body has gifted you. Honor and worship your body by providing it worth nutritious means and enjoyable exercises. Make these your mantras as these will be your milestones in achieving body positivity.
Give compliment to others
Most often we land up judging others too harshly. This happens when we judge ourselves with too much criticism as well. However, instead of judging yourself and others harshly, practice being kind. You never know, maybe the other person is also working towards achieving body positivity. Your comment might make her day. Give others a nice compliment, be kind to others. In return, you will learn to be kinder to yourself as well. Give your peers a compliment you wish to get. Be someone else’s silver lining on the cloud. One day, this act of kindness will come back to you.
Surround yourself with positive people and positivity
There is negativity all around us. Negativity also have a way of seeping into our thoughts and increasing our insecurities towards our body. Negativity is the biggest hurdle in achieving body positivity. When you go through social media, the photoshopped images of models and fitness gurus fuel your insecurities about yourself.
A recent study has shown that the more time people spend on social media, the higher are their insecurities towards their own body.
Their is a simple fix to this problem and to get back on the horse of achieving body positivity.
You can either choose to spend less time on social media and more time with people who love you and care about you. Alternatively, you can unfollow people who make you feel insecure or promote body negativity. Follow those influencers who promote body positivity.
Focus on what you love about yourself
Achieving body positivity can be fairly easy if you put your mind to it. Every time a negative thought about your body pops up on your head, think about a positive factor of your body. Make a list in your head about all the features of your own body which you like or love. Don’t focus only on the looks. Focus on the usefulness of the part as well.
Feeling dissatisfied with ones body is natural and happens to all at some point of time. However, it can grow and turn into heaps of insecurity of not dealt with at the start. Therefore, the best way to stop this type of thinking process is to counteract it with daily reminders of how good your body actually is.
Do not compare
This world is made of people belonging to all shapes, weights and sizes. Nature lives imperfection. If we all looked the same and had the same body type, where would the diversity be? We would all be clones of one another.
Therefore, it is imperative that you understand that all of us are not supposed to be alike, in terms of figure or looks. We are all different and we are all beautiful in our own unique ways. You are not supposed to look like someone else. You are supposed to look just like you. Understanding this will help you win half the battle of achieving body positivity.
Remove the negative self talk
As I mentioned before, cutting down or removing the negative self talk will be a huge help in achieving body positivity. If you are about to say something derogatory about your own body, don’t say it. Your body works so hard everyday. It does not need or deserve this verbal abuse, from you or anyone else.
Increase the focus on positive body messages
Even if you start feeling positive about your body, the world is full of people who works spread negative body image. Do not let such people get to you. There is a lot of amazing literature available on body positivity. A lot of people suffering from body negativity have found these books useful on their path to achieving body positivity. You should focus your time and energy on such books which would enhance your body positivity and drown out body negativity.
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Treat your body
You get leave and holidays from your work place. However, your body is at work 24*7. Your body does not take a leave of absence. It is time to start giving back to this wonderful and amazing companion of yours. Indulge in some bubble baths, foot massages or a full day of spa. Such activities will not only refresh you, they will boost your mood as well.
Focus on self
To work on achieving body positivity you must first understand that you are so much more than just a body. You are a person who has talents, is compassionate and has so much love to share with others. So, spend less time focusing on your body and more time engaging in activities which you enjoy like painting, writing, making art, sculpting etc.
Spend time with positive people
The kind of company you keep has a huge effect on how you feel about yourself. If in your current friend circle, everyone is fixated on looks and body, it is time your get some new friends. Be friends with people who are comfortable in their own skin and are non judgmental towards others. A good company can get a huge positive effect on your self confidence, how you feel about yourself and can help you in achieving body positivity at a much faster pace..
Wear clothes which make you look good
Clothes play a huge part in achieving body positivity. You do not have to wear skinny clothes or clothes which highlight your body in a negative manner. Instead, wear clothes which show your amazing self. This will boost your self esteem, self confidence and make you feel less conscious of yourself.
Promote body positivity on social media
We preach what we believe. There are so many influencers on social media who are fixed on attaining a certain type of body image. Show yourself. Show the world that loving yourself is more important that attaining a specific size or specific kilo on the scale. Become an influencer of body positivity.
Avoid perfectionism
Nature likes imperfect. No one in this world is perfect. You cannot be perfect. You can only be your best self. So don’t try to be perfect in terms of body. Be perfect in the person you are. Be kind, compassionate and lovable. These qualities are far more important that looking a certain way or weighting a certain number of kilos.
Conclusion
We all feel negatively about ourselves at some point of time. However, when this becomes recurrent and you find it hard to feel good about yourself, it is a sign you are going through body negativity.
Body negativity is the starting point of serious mental health issues like bulimia, anorexia etc. Negative body issues can also lead to severe anxiety and depression in the person.
Learn to accept yourself for who you are. This is the first step in achieving body positivity. Focus on yourself, focus on your good attributes and all the things your body has done for you and you will start to achieve body positivity eventually.If you have any queries pertaining to this blog post or any other, feel free to reach out to me on any of my social media channels or you can leave your quiet in the connect section below. I will be happy to help you.
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See you in my next blog postShruti
Frequently asked questions
What is body positivity?Body positivity is feeling comfortable in how one looks regardless of the society’s ideal shape and size. It is accepting oneself about who they are.
Why is body positivity important?
When a person engaged in body positivity, they feel more positive towards themselves, it boosts their self confidence. They feel they are in control of their lives. Such people are less inclined towards suffering from eating disorders, depression and stress.
Who founded body positivity?
The body positivity movement was founded by Connie Sobczak and Elizabeth Scott in year 1996. They dared a passion towards creating a healthy lively community which offered freedom to all who were suffering from societal messages which suffocated people in their own skin.
How do I stop hating my body?
Remind yourself that nobody is perfect. There is nothing called a perfect in this world. Show yourself the positive things about your body
- Love yourself
- Choose what you look at
- Practice self affirmations everyone you feel negative
- Stop the inner critic the moment it opens its mouth
- Indulge in giving treats to your body like spa day, bubble baths etc. whatever you like
- Dress the way you want to, in which you look good as per you
- Remind yourself society does not matter, only you matter
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