Physical Self-esteem: Accept Your Body

We don’t want to look in the mirror, it’s terrifying to take pictures, and we even use mobile editing tools to fix the “ugly” parts of our bodies in the images. Fashion, social pressures, comparisons… are all intimate enemies that cause a lot of damage and eliminate what little love we have for our image.

The body, understood as the place that gives us a physical form and allows us to act on the external world, is a more than important part of ourselves. Together with emotions and thoughts, they form a “whole”, which sets us apart from the rest. The current standards of beauty and the misperception of what health is make us hate this fantasy that surrounds us.

understand the body

In order to be able to offer all the respect our bodies deserve, a good idea is to start by trying to understand them. It is not a fight that will harm you, but rather trying to get to know yourself in such a way that you will find in its complexity a great ally. For this, we must interpret our own signals.

So, when we don’t take care of ourselves enough, the body becomes a barrier or a shield that protects us from the attacks of others. We are often the ones who harm this very special friend that we have in us by eating what is unhealthy, doing excessive diets or putting too much intensity into the sport we practice…

That body that annoys you so much and that you don’t want to see reflected in the mirror, that you hide by turning off the light in the intimacy of the couple or that you avoid showing if you dress more than expected, is what will accompany you for the rest of your life. You have the power to change it and even improve it, but that in many cases doesn’t mean you will love it.

the body and fashion

The media, advertising and society have enough power to get a girl to stop eating to try to look more like a model, or a boy to go to the gym every day and lift weights to look like a model. Hollywood actors.

The meaning of beauty, however, with regard to the image, is quite relative and changes over time. For example, in the Renaissance, beautiful women were those who need special sizes today. In Arab culture, very thin women are not the most attractive to men seeking marriage. There are several other examples like these.

Beyond what fashion imposes, what is certain is that the body is the best technological machine we have. Of course we could change some part, but everything can actually get some improvement. So we don’t have to belittle what we have.

Do you like your body?

Most people are unhappy with their body image. The thin ones would like to have a fitter body, others would like to have a thinner body, the tall ones are tired of seeing the world from above, and the short ones to have the feeling that they don’t take them seriously.

If you answered “no” to the question “do you like your body?”, you must be part of a large portion of the population, and we invite you to move on to other questions: “Why doesn’t it please you?”, “What does it cause you not to be happy with your body?” , “How could it improve?”, “What parts of your body do you like?”.

To change a part of your body, you need to think about whether a change is really needed. Identifying the reason for wanting this change is important. Is it because you don’t like the body part itself, or compared to others? In any case, if you intend to turn the task of change into a serious objective, it is best to consult a professional and let them help you.

start accepting your body

Accepting doesn’t mean sitting idly by and never changing anything. It means starting the day liking yourself and understanding the beauty you hide and the beauty that shows. An exercise that can help is to stand in front of the mirror, if possible unclothed, and analyze every inch, paying close attention to what you see and what you feel.

You may feel a little distasteful at first, but after the first few minutes you will get used to it. Rest your gaze on your hair, your face, your torso, your legs. Look a lot at what you like best: your nose, your shoulders or your eyes.

Then look for the regions you don’t like so much. But this time, instead of criticizing, I propose another attitude: accept. It may sound easy in theory, but not so easy in practice.

Do you have eyes that can see? A mind that allows you to reason? Do you have a nose that allows you to breathe? With legs that obey you? With skin that can feel caresses? With a beating heart? Find the right and right perspective for your body, not the value they place on us compared to advertising.

In addition to watching yourself, another way to respond to your body is to hear what it does. This has to do with standing with him in the shower and not thinking about what he’s going to do next, playing sports and feeling his heart race, or walking and feeling the freedom that walking gives us with every move.

Finally, don’t forget about all the people who wish they had a body like yours. Of course they exist. Accept their shapes, their irregularities, their reliefs and their sizes. It’s not just the clothes that surround you, it’s also your thoughts, ideas and emotions.