The 5 Do’s & Don’ts of Body Image – Healthy Mind, Healthy Body

The self image crisis that many women face today comes from a lot of sources. Although it’s hard to remove bad feelings that you have towards yourself, there are a few do’s and don’ts that will get you on your way to a better you.
Do: Love Yourself
Many women have problems with their self image. Whether it be because they wished they looked like someone else, or because they simply don’t like who they see in the mirror, women tend to be down on themselves. However, this negative energy doesn’t help promote happiness or change. In order to have a healthy body image, you first have to love yourself today no matter how you would like to look in the future.
upset womenDon’t: Be Deceived
Some of the self image problems that women have are based on what society expects from them. These images that we see in the movies and on TV in scantily clad lingerie don’t help. But it’s necessary to remember that these aren’t real women; they are simply women who have been photoshopped to look flawless. Loving yourself comes when you realize that the women on the screens aren’t real, but you are.
Do: Be Healthy
Just because you love yourself doesn’t meant that you don’t want to change. But the changes should be to promote your own health, not to look like a supermodel. Making gradual changes to improve your diet and fitness will make you feel good about yourself, inside and out.
Don’t: Compare Yourself
On your journey, don’t compare yourself to other people around you. Every single person is different, and each person has their own strengths and weaknesses. Instead, look inside and determine how you want to be, for yourself. Staying positive and maintaining an inward focus is one way to truly empower yourself to make the changes that you want. Along the journey, you’ll maintain a positive body image if you take pride in the small successes and changes that you see in yourself along the way.
Do: Take Reasonable Steps
Some women decide that they want to completely and drastically alter their appearances quickly. This can lead to some problems, both in terms of health and in terms of happiness when the quick changes fail. Instead, people who take smaller steps and push themselves a little bit at a time are the ones who are most successful. It all goes back to loving yourself as you are today, even if you would like to look differently in the future.
In conclusion, there are many good and bad approaches to self image. The most important thing is to focus on the positives. Instead of looking at a leg that isn’t as slender as another person’s, look at your leg and think, “I’m glad this leg is healthy and able to support my daily activities”. Similarly, if you are not as slender as you would like to be, be gentle with your body and make small steps towards a healthier you.
Reframing your concerns allows you to push yourself to accomplish bigger goals that will lead you to a person you are even prouder of in the future. And if you are able to care for yourself and love yourself along the entire way, you can only imagine how much love you will have when you reach your final goals.