To be born into this world is not easy, loving yourself is even more difficult. There will be times when you feel that your body is not healthy, or some parts do not look perfect, making you no longer feel like taking care of yourself. These are completely normal emotions and tend to stick with you at some stage throughout your life.
When your mind is filled with thoughts of hating your body, automatically negative things will come to your life, ruin your relationships and then eventually make you suffer from many diseases and may cause disorders like the most common one people experience is eating disorder. When you really learn to accept and love your body, your life will definitely go in a more positive direction.
Signs that your mental health is being compromised
- Here are some signs that you can tell if your body disgust is negatively affecting your mental and emotional health.
Stress from spending a lot of time thinking about your body
Are you spending too much time thinking about your body’s flaws especially when you look at yourself in the mirror and not being able to focus on other things? This is a sign that you are starting to feel disgust and dissatisfied with yourself, and how your body looks. This without a doubt can adversely affect your spirit.
Even if you don’t spend all your time thinking negatively about your body, that doesn’t mean your mental health hasn’t been affected.
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Do you feel depressed and inferior to your appearance?
Dysphoria is a frustrating and an unsatisfying psychological state. This feeling is often present in many aspects of life such as finances, personal life, work or gender. Besides, dysphoria will appear when you feel frustrated and uncomfortable with your body, causing you to force yourself to perform excessive physical exercises in the hope of changing your appearance.
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In addition, body dysmorphia is a negative psychological state when you are too obsessive or pay too much attention to small defects in your body. Even though the people around you don’t notice or see any flaws, you always think that you’re really not perfect at all. You always think that some parts of your body are larger than the average person, when in fact it is not.
People with this condition often can’t get rid of the idea that their whole body, or a few small parts of it, has a problem that makes them unacceptable to themselves and also to others even though it isn’t really the case. This sometimes leads to an eating disorder for which many are suffering from without even perhaps realizing it.
Do you feel negative when someone discusses the topic of looks?
Usually, if you’re simply annoyed when someone comments on your appearance, that doesn’t mean you’re hating your body or the person who said it. However, if the comment makes you upset, haunts your mind for days and causes you to have sleepless nights, or makes you hold a grudge against the other person, this is a sign that body disgust is taking a serious toll to your mental health.
Photo: Pexels/ Min An
How can I love my body more?
It’s not unusual for you to be unhappy or dissatisfied with your appearance. However, there are many ways for you to start cultivating love and acceptance of your body. When you start to develop positive thoughts about your appearance, you will feel like a more fulfilled and happier version of yourself.
Think about what the body can do
Negative thoughts make us forget how well our bodies can function. When you realize that you are still healthy and able to do many things, it is also the time when you feel more grateful, appreciative and pleased of the body your are in and who you really are as a person.
Are you breathing?
If the answer is yes, it means that you are still healthy, still alive and aware of the world around you. Every day, your lungs are still working actively to receive oxygen, ensuring the smooth operation of the whole body, and keeping you healthy. There are many things waiting for you to experience, thanks to this body, you can continue to enjoy life, and ready to welcome new surprises into your life. So, take time to admire yourself.
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Are your eyes clear?
If the answer is yes, you are still blessed and have the opportunity to witness the wonders of the world, discover things no one else knows and see the majestic wonders of the world. See the beauty around you and be exhilarated by being around people who inspire you and see the best in you so you will start seeing the good aspects you possess that you have neglected to notice before.
Can your feet still walk?
If the answer is a big yes, then you still have the opportunity to move around, set foot in the places you desire to explore, freely travel here and there to enrich your own experiences.
There are countless questions that you can ask yourself to gradually improve yourself in your journey of healing and loving your body. Once you become aware of the amazing things your body can do, you will be one step closer to accepting yourself and being grateful for what you have so that you can be happier and more peaceful in life. Nothing is more rewarding than being able to appreciate and see the beauty of yourself and letting yourself be where you should be. Don’t be afraid to put yourself first and gratify your inner desire to explore and be around new people, places and happenings in life. You are worthy of those of those wonders in life.
Accept what your body can do
No matter what your body looks like, flaws and all, you should focus on what you are still capable of. Try not to be too hard on yourself. Be more accepting of the undertakings you might not have the ability to do that perhaps other people can easily accomplish without a sweat. We are not created perfectly so it’s definitely okay to have flaws. But it doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself either. There are things you can definitely do that you have not discovered yet or perhaps things you have tried before but given up along the way since you believe that you are not physically, mentally or emotionally capable enough to do it. Allow your body and mind to work together as one to achieve what your heart truly desires.
When you learn to accept what you can do, you will be more empathetic and less judgmental of others, and it will also help you reduce stress.
Photo: Unsplash/ Igor Lypnytskyi
Be kind to your body
In order for us to be strong and healthy walking and existing on this life, the body has to work hard day and night, using all cells and organs, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently without fail. Therefore, the body deserves to be cherished, soothed, and “maintained” to continue to fight with us in the coming days, months and years.
Take some time during the day to soak in the hot tub, resting your tired muscles, and eat enough food with nutritional benefits to make sure your body receives adequate energy to help you start your everyday activities full of vigor and vitality.
Be grateful for your body and take care of it properly, then your spirit will always be radiant, and life will therefore become more positive and full of happiness and love not just to yourself but also to the people you cherish dearly.
Refrain from participating in comments about other people’s bodies
Remarks about appearance is always of great interest to many people, especially in the headlines of newspapers on print and on social networks. We have seen plenty of people blatantly express their comments about pictures and posts of people on social media and it seems to be no stopping it. Ever since, comparing and judging other people’s bodies has become a hobby of many people, this has greatly affected some individuals views, opinions and thoughts about themselves. To protect yourself from negative thoughts about your appearance or comparing yourself from others, you should quickly flip through the news about the stars or other famous influencers’ bodies on social networks, and only care about your favorite topics and contents that can definitely bring positive feelings to yourself. Those topics that you think will enrich your self value and confidence.
Participate in stress-relieving activities
Photo: Pexels/ Cliff Booth
Finding ways to cope with and reduce stress is key to improving and developing physical health. Meditation activities, breathing exercises or walks help us to clear our minds and limit the negative thoughts that are always present. Activities that help relieve stress also work to help you think more positively and thoroughly about your body, and remove the inferiority complex about your appearance.