For a lot of people, one of the biggest causes of stress, depression, and anxiety is the very body they inhabit. People, when they are not happy with various aspects of their body, can really sabotage their wellbeing by focusing on their body’s flaws. If you’re one of them, here are some things you can do to start feeling better about your body right now…
Repeat a mantra
If you’re ruminating about that scar on your cheek or thinking about those few pounds you’ve put on in the past month and it’s affecting your health and wellbeing, replace those negative thoughts with a positive mantra. This could be anything from: “I am good enough” to “My body is good, it supports me through life. Anything you can say to make you feel a bit more positive about your body will help, so repeat it throughout the day as necessary.
Take action
Sometimes, there are things we can do to make our bodies appear closer to our own ideals. Whether that means hitting the yoga studio to tone up or undergoing stretch mark removal procedures so you stop hyper-focusing on them if there is something you can do to make yourself feel more confident in your own skin, there is nothing wrong with doing what needs to be done.
Think about all the good your body does
From enabling you to get up each morning, go out to work, travel the world, or whatever it is that you need and love to do each day, your body supports it all. Without your body, even if it isn’t perfect your life would be much less rich, so remember that and treat your body with the respect it deserves.
Focus on the stuff you like
Sure, you may hate your stretch marks or be paranoid about the size of your nose, but maybe you have beautiful eyes or a really firms but, so instead of focusing on the parts of your body you perceive to be flawed, focus on the parts you like instead and you’ll feel a whole lot better for it.
Exercise
Exercise not to improve your appearance, but to boost your confidence and to see what your body can do. When you exercise, you naturally gain a bigger appreciation for your own body, and as I mentioned above that is a really effective way to feel better about your body. If your body does tone up as a result, well that’s just a bonus really.
Focus on helping someone else
When you focus on helping someone else, it takes the focus off you. So, even if you were hyperfocused on your body before, when you’re reading to seniors or taking caste of abandoned animals, you won’t be thinking about how your butt looks in those pants or how your teeth are not perfectly straight because you will be too busy caring for people who need your help.
Nobody is perfect, but most of us have perfectly fine bodies and if you’re obsessing about yours, use the above ideas to stop ruminating and start developing a more healthy relationship with your body.
