Love Your Body, Love Yourself: 4 Steps Toward Body Positivity
Embracing and learning to love yourself is incredibly important and will help you lead a more fulfilling and happy life! Here are some simple and practical tips to help you get started.
Simple Steps Toward Body Positivity
1. Correlate between Your Mind and Your Body
Have you ever stopped to wonder what the relationship is between your mind and body? The great philosophers of the world have been advising us that self-inspection brings about great benefits to the human body; that by listening to what your mind signals to your body, you can bring positive changes to your lifestyle, relationships, and even your career.
Take out ten minutes to sit in silence, and reflect psychologically on your body. On a sheet of paper, note down on a scale of one to ten everything you feel ~ good or bad ~ about your body at that present moment {ten being very positive and one being very negative}. This is the first step on the journey to being aware of your body, and understanding that you may need to make a conscious effort at maintaining a positive body image.
2. Plan out Your Course of Action
Now that you have analysed and understood your body, it is time to chart out a course of action. Have you received a high score? If yes, then gauge the positive factors in your life that have contributed towards it and ensure that you maintain them, as they would greatly contribute to your continued happiness. However, if your self-analysis comes back negative, make an effort to comprehend where you will need to invest your maximum efforts to improve. My suggestion is to maintain a diary and write one positive thing about your body in it every day.
Equally important in my opinion, is that you analyse the language you apply to depict your body; it is negative or positive? Gauge your dressing style; does it showcase your body in a positive light? Make evaluations of how other people refer to your body and ensure that the language they use is constructive. An introspection of the inner self is another step towards shifting your attitude from being a victim of your body to being a friend of your body. It will help elevate the need to compare and compete with those around you.
3. Critically Analyse the Role of Media
We are constantly bombarded with magazines, billboards, and commercials that feature unrealistic bodies ~ significantly affecting our views about our own bodies. This is referred to as the analysis of the “body image”. Ask yourself how you feel after being exposed to them. It is now that you need to question and critically analyse media, as unrealistic expectations will just weaken your self-confidence. What exactly are they trying to sell to you? How extensive is the editing those images have been subjected to? The more you begin to evaluate, you will gain the skills to identify ideals and how they differ from reality itself. It’s time to take back your body and confidence and start seeing yourself in a positive light.
4. Explore Body Movement in Rewarding Ways
A great way to boost your self-esteem is by shifting focus from paying attention to your body’s appearance to your body’s movements. And by movements of your body, I am not implying fitness or an alteration in your appearance, but rather suggesting a focus on bodily sensations. As simple a gesture as smelling roses and basking in its fragrance; sitting in silence for a few minutes doing breathing exercises.
Start to focus on how blessed you are to experience these sensations and become more aware of the movements your body can make daily. This shift of focus from body appearance to bodily sensations has been proven to boost self-esteem. Take inspiration from the new generation of women across the world that have proved beauty lies in confidence and intelligence, and not on one’s external appearance.
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”