Physical Self-esteem: Accept Your Body!

Most people don’t like to look in the mirror or take a picture of themselves; and when they do, they rush to edit their photos on the computer.

Fashion, social pressures, the tendency to compare oneself to others … just as many intimate enemies who hurt us a lot, and who gradually make the little love we had for our body disappear.

The body, understood in the sense of the place which gives us a physical entity and which allows us to act on the outside world, is a more than important part of ourselves.

The body, emotions and thoughts form a “whole” which sets us apart from others. The current beauty canons and the mistaken perception of what health is lead us to hate our body.

Understanding the body

To be able to offer our body all the respect it deserves, we can already, at first, try to understand it.

Your body is not there to hurt you; on the contrary, generally his behavior is perfect, and it is in his complexity that you can find a great ally, especially if you know how to interpret the signals he sends you.

Even when we do not take sufficient care of it, the body is this barrier or this shield that protects us from external attacks.

Often it is we ourselves who are hurting that special friend by adopting unhealthy behaviors, excessive diets or not playing sports intensely enough.

That body that bothers you so much and that you don’t want to see reflected in the mirror, that you hide by turning off the light in privacy with your companion or that you avoid showing by wearing certain clothes, is the one that you will accompany for the rest of your life.

You have the power to change or improve it, but sometimes that is incompatible with what you want.

The body and fashion

The media, advertising, and society have so much power that they can lead a girl to stop eating in order to look like a model, or a boy to go to the gym to lift weights and be as attractive as women. Hollywood actors.

However, the meaning of the word “beauty” (physically speaking) is quite relative and changes over time.

For example in the Renaissance, beautiful women were those who today need special sizes.

In Arab culture, thin women are not the most sought after by men to get married. We could still give you dozens of examples of this type.

Beyond what fashion imposes, what is certain is that the body is the best technological machine we can rely on.

Of course, you can change parts of it, because everything can be improved. But that doesn’t mean we should despise what we already have.

Do you love your body?

Most people don’t like their bodies. Thin people would like to be bigger while slightly stronger people would like to get thinner.

Tall people are tired of seeing the world down below, and short people of feeling like no one takes them seriously.

If you answered “no” to the question “do you love your body?”, Know that this answer is the one given by most people.

We now invite you to ask yourself others: why don’t you like it? What causes you to be dissatisfied with it?

How could you improve it? Are there any areas that you like?

Before having cosmetic surgery and changing certain parts of your body, you must ask yourself if this modification is really necessary.

Identify the reason why you want to make this change; is it because you don’t like that part of your body itself, or is it because you compare yourself to others?

Either way, if you are making this urge to change a serious matter, the best you can do is consult a professional and let them advise you.

Start accepting your body

To accept does not mean to stand idly by so that in the end nothing will change-

Accepting means starting the day loving yourself and considering the beauty you hide as well as the beauty you show.

One exercise that might help you is to face the mirror, naked if possible, and analyze every inch of your body, paying close attention to what you see and the sensations it evokes.

You will probably feel some rejection at first, but after a few minutes you will get used to it.

Look on your hair, on your face, on your chest, and on your feet. Then focus on what you like the most: your nose, your shoulders or your eyes.

Then, identify the areas of your body that you don’t like.

However, this time, instead of criticizing, we offer you another attitude: to accept. This is certainly easier said than done for you.

Do you have eyes that let you see yourself? A mind that allows you to evaluate? A nose that allows you to breathe? Feet that obey you? A skin that feels things through the scars it bears? A beating heart?

Find the right perspective for your body, not the judgment that advertising pushes us to make.

Another way to reach out to your body is to take care of what you’re doing.

For example, stay with him in the shower without mentally escaping thinking about what you are going to do next, play sports and feel how your heart is racing, or walk and realize that feeling of freedom that sets you in motion. .

Finally, don’t forget: there are many people who dream of having a body like yours, because yes, there are.

Accept your shapes, irregularities, reliefs and sizes. You are not just the “wrapper” that envelops you, you are also your thoughts, ideas or emotions.

“For me, sculpture is the body. My body is a sculpture. ”

-Louise Bourgeois-