Whether it’s on social media or in online Hollywood publications, many women are constantly bombarded with unrealistic portrayals of superficial beauty. This is one of the factors that has made it hard for a lot of women to accept themselves physically as they are. Many women have put themselves through serious surgeries to look a certain way. There have also been many who have become diagnosed with dangerous eating disorders such as bulimia to achieve a certain body weight. Why is it so hard for many of us to accept our bodies? How do we accept ourselves physically? It could take some time to achieve this, but it’s possible by considering five tips that will be highlighted later in this post.
Why is it so Hard to Accept my Body?
Many women who suffer from body image issues ask this question from time to time. They struggle with being content with the shape of their body or the way their face looks. One of the most common reasons for this is because they’re faced with society’s high standards of beauty. It’s always been an ongoing pressure for many women to look a certain way.
For many women, this usually starts when they’re teenagers and looking at fashion magazines that depict women as being rail thin. They began to think that this was the only way to look beautiful and started starving themselves to achieve this image. Society’s ongoing pressure on women to look perfect doesn’t stop when they become adults. There’s even some intense pressure on them in the workplace to depict some sort of superficial image.
How do I Accept Myself Physically?
Accepting yourself physically begins with changing your perception of yourself. Try developing a sense of body positivity for you and others around you. This is a movement that originated in the 1960s that encourages the acceptance of all body sizes. Discrimination against people of different body sizes continues to exist and we must encourage young girls and women to embrace their size as it is. If you suffer from accepting yourself physically, here are a few ways you can strive to do better in this.
Think and Write about What you Like About Yourself
One way you begin the process of accepting yourself the way you are is by writing some things you like about the way you look. You can get yourself a journal or write on a piece of paper. Start sharing some things about your appearance you appreciate. Do you like your green eyes? If you’re a curvy-shaped woman, you may like them. What about your hair? By expressing positive things about your body, you’ll be on the road to general acceptance of who you are on the outside and be less inclined to succumb to dramatic changes.
Turn Negative Self-Talk into Positive Talk
Our words could mean a lot. If we continue to say nothing but negative things about ourselves, we’ll start to believe it and have a hard time with acceptance. Try replacing your comments such as “I don’t like the way my eyes look” with “I think there’s something unique about my eyes.” Changing any negative self-talk that you have about yourself is not only important in accepting yourself, but it’s also vital in building your self-esteem.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Another wrong thing to do is constantly comparing yourself with others. We all are uniquely made by our Grand Creator. Our body shapes are all different. Just because that person is a size 2, that doesn’t make them better than you are. While it’s usually hard for a lot of us to stop comparing ourselves to others, it is possible. Learning to accept the fact that we all are different and unique is a better attitude to have.
Don’t Become Too Consumed with Social Media
While we’re on the subject of comparing ourselves to others, one of the worst places to do that is on social media. Many people spend so much time on Instagram or Tick Tock looking at other people’s posts. When they scroll through them on social media, they tend to obsess over the way people look. A 2021 study shows that social media is shown to decrease appearance self-esteem in young girls. Being too consumed with social media makes it harder for you to fully accept yourself.
Do Activities that Make You Feel Good
Trying out new active hobbies that are more productive could help you accept yourself physically. Think about what activities make you happy. This could cardio exercises, bicycling, or jogging. These activities are all good examples of some that are beneficial for your mental health. They could also make it easier to accept yourself the way you are. So find out what activity you know brings you joy and satisfaction.
How do You Embrace Your Body Image
It takes time to learn how to embrace your body image. Our bodies are changing as we get older. In fact, our body shape will change as our hormones start to shift. But it’s still possible to embrace our body image and love ourselves the way we are, even if that’s not easy. Learning to practice body positivity and acceptance starts from within. Having positive influences in your life could help in achieving this.
Why Improving Some Things about Yourself is Natural
However, while accepting yourself and not resorting to radical changes to your personal appearance is important, it’s human nature for many of us to want to make a few improvements on ourselves. What I mean by this is making minor beauty changes here and there. This could be doing something different, but beautiful with our hair or losing weight due to exercising frequently and eating healthier. There’s nothing wrong with making some improvements to your appearance. Just make sure that you’re balanced and not too overly obsessed with changing the way you look.
Accepting yourself the way you are is an ongoing journey for a lot of women. While it’s not an easy journey, it’s a possible goal that could be achieved. By taking some time to write about some things you like about yourself, turning your negative words into positive ones, not comparing yourself to others, reducing your social media activity to a minimum, and doing fun activities that bring you joy, you could possibly find yourself on that road. Strive to be balanced in how you view your appearance and learn to accept yourself as you uniquely are.
Do you find it hard sometimes to accept yourself physically as you are? What has helped you to cope with this feeling? Feel free to share your thoughts on this issue or anything else in the comments section below. As always, be sure to like or share this post with the next person you know.
