Approximately 90% of women in America are unhappy with their bodies and will resort to different measures to achieve their ideal body type. Mainstream and social media are only making things worse because a lot of people feel the need to compare themselves to seemingly perfect or flawless people online.
Most people fail to understand that nothing in life is more important than how they think and feel about themselves. A positive self-image is the foundation of true happiness. Of course, a positive self-image goes far beyond your body image and is more about having a positive view of your feelings, thoughts, actions, and capabilities.
When it comes to self-worth, the only opinion that matters is your own. In this guide, we’ll help you gain a new perspective on your self-image, and we hope that this information will help you stop being your harshest critic.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
If comparing yourself to others is how you measure your worth, you will always come out a loser. The truth is, now one compares themselves to people who are seemingly like them, or beneath them, they always compare themselves to those seemingly better, which destroys their self-image. In life, it is virtually impossible to be better than everyone in every way.
This is an alluring, and yet quite the emotionally-dangerous trap to fall into. While a lot of people use comparison to motivate themselves and get the drive to be just like those people, or better, it should not be a way to make an evaluation of yourself. The bigger problem is that you’re comparing yourself to inaccurate information because social media and most mainstream media are an illusion and a lot of photoshop.
This is the first thing you must understand, after which you should be okay with flaws and imperfections, focus on your strengths, and count your blessings.
Stop Criticizing Yourself
If you’re used to criticizing yourself, stopping may seem like a daunting task, because it is. It’s so easy to bring yourself down when you have low self-esteem, but once you stop comparing yourself to others, it’ll be easier to stop criticizing yourself. The truth is, nothing good comes out of beating yourself down.
People will have an easier time believing in you if you believe yourself. You need to come to terms with the fact that you’re human, and humans are to error. To develop a positive self-image, forgive yourself for the mistakes you make, learn from them, and strive to do better next time.
Practice self-compassion, which is the art of being kind to yourself. Speaking harshly to yourself or about yourself will only affect your self-esteem negatively. When things don’t go according to plan, instead of saying something like “I’m so stupid, and I ruin everything,” try saying something like, “Everyone messes up, and next time I’ll do better.”
Be Kind and Generous
Most people don’t know or believe this, but there is more power in giving than receiving. It gives you contentment to know that you have brought happiness to someone else, and you have no idea how much can boost your self-confidence. This will ultimately leave you with a positive self-image because you’ll feel good when you perceive yourself as a good person.
List All the Things You Love About Yourself
There are so many good things about you, and all you have to do is recognize them. It’s quite easy for a person to disregard all their positive attributes simply because they feel they fall short on a few things that the world expects. Try listing all the great things about yourself, which will change the perception of yourself, and give you a positive self-image.
One of the best things you can do for yourself is recognizing your self-worth. It doesn’t matter what you like about yourself, from your smile to your eyes, talents, skills, and your sense of style, list it down. The important part of doing this is how good it’ll make you feel, and if it achieves that goal, then it’ll be well worth it.
Get the Right Amount of Sleep
Lack of sleep leads to fatigue, and when you have lethargy, you feel like you don’t want to do anything. If you’re having trouble in school, at work, or in any activities you do, then it could make you feel like you’re just not better enough. But the root cause could be fatigue, so get enough sleep so you can wake up refreshed and ready to have productive days as opposed to waking up moody and cranky.
Waking up early as the sun rises, or before, can especially make your days very productive.
You’ll start your day with confidence, and you’ll have much time to achieve your goals for the day, which will leave you feeling great about yourself. When you’re lagging behind on your assignments or those reports your boss keeps asking for, then you’ll only stay in a bad mood. This may result in feeling like a failure, which ultimately affects your self-image.
Change What You Can
Life is, for most people, complicated, and it’s okay to take happiness wherever and whenever you can. If there are things you can change about yourself because it makes you feel great about your self-image, then go ahead and do them. Self-love is important, so change your hair color if it makes you look better or wear makeup if it lifts up your spirits.
If you feel that your teeth are misaligned, and it affects your self-esteem, then go to a professional dentist and have them aligned. These are some great ways to improve yourself.
See here is you need to get that incredible smile back.
The trick here is not to do something simply because it’ll make you more acceptable to others, or because you feel the need to measure up because these are the wrong reasons.
Take Care of Your Body
You’d be surprised at how confident you can be in yourself when your body is well nourished and replenished. Eat healthy, exercise, engage in activities that keep you fit, drink water, and stop skimping on sleep.
Physical activities actually boost self-confidence, so make self care a top priority in your life. You see, when your physical appearance looks good, you will naturally have an inner peace about yourself, and you’ll have incredible confidence about who you are and what you’re capable of.
A Guide to a Positive Self-Image
These are some of the things you need to do to love yourself more and ultimately leave you with a positive self-image. Beyond that, our blog section has so much cool info about leading a healthy lifestyle, fashion, and great recipes, so check us out today and change your lifestyle!
