Being unhappy with our body image is something that affects our everyday life. It can interfere enough to make us feel unhappy even when life is otherwise going quite well.
Here are a few suggestions for how to feel more positive about your body self-image.
Be Accepting of Yourself
It’s difficult to do anything positive for ourselves if we feel down and are kicking ourselves at the same time. Therefore, it’s never helpful when in a relationship with a partner criticising us about our weight; it only makes us feel lousier and unmotivated.
You are who you are. It’s important to be accepting of yourself, your body and any limitations present. Some people feel like that’s giving up, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s certainly possible to be accepting of who you are today but still own a positive goal that you’re striving towards.
Dress To Please Yourself, Not Others
Wear clothes that you feel comfortable in. Don’t spend too much time trying to impress other people because that’s giving away your sense of worth for others to vote on. When dressing to please yourself, anyone giving you a compliment is the icing on the cake, but not necessary to prop you up.
Being robust in the face of opposition (or just life!) means having a strong sense of self. While you might genuinely not be entirely happy with your body because you’re overweight or you feel that you don’t have a pleasing figure, do the best you can with what you’ve got. Remember, no one’s perfect!
Lose Weight If You Want or Need To
It depends on your average weight whether it poses a potential health issue. Being marginally overweight isn’t all that bad, but every pound (or kilo) beyond a sensible range should be cause for concern.
Use an online Body Mass Index (BMI) checker to see where you stand. Their calculation is based upon sex/gender, age, and weight, and provides a BMI number along with a category.
Make a smart decision about exercise and diet based on what you discover. Start with light exercise and build up. If you’re a woman, understand that your body shape will change as you drop in weight because you have a larger percentage of body fat than men.
Get Misshapen Breasts Addressed If You Feel the Need
Most women have one breast that’s larger than the other. It’s typically the one that sits over the heart. Having misshapen or tuberous breasts is actually very common. In some women, it’s only a minor size difference that isn’t even a bra cup size difference, but for other women where the size difference is substantial, it can be both embarrassing and difficult to get a bra that fits properly.
If you’re living with this situation, then there is elective surgery that can address the size difference to resolve it properly. Bear in mind that weight loss (or weight gain) will change the relative size of a woman’s bust, but it tends to stay in proportion to how it was before gaining (or losing) weight.
Being happy about your self-image is mostly an inside job. We can improve our physical appearance, but we still must be happy on the inside too.
