Learning Self-Love
Let’s be really real. It is hard not to totally pick yourself apart sometimes. With perfectly photoshopped pictures everywhere and new diet and exercise regimens we should have been following yesterday the pressure to fit an “ideal” is strong.
However, it is important to realize that “ideals” are tough to achieve because, well, they are not based in reality. Not everyone is the same shape, size and color—nor can they be despite how hard they try. You are uniquely you and obsessing over losing weight, having perfect hair or an airbrushed complexion just isn’t realistic. With that said, how does one learn to ignore the noise and be happy with themselves? We have a few thoughts on this that we want to share with you. Buckle up and be prepared to love yourself like you never have before.
Learning Self-Love
Change how you think about diet and exercise. It’s natural to want to frame those things around losing weight and changing your body shape, but that’s not the best way to get the results you want. When you zero in on having to be a certain size or shape you make diet and exercise a punishment rather than something that makes your body feel good and operate at a high level. So instead of forcing diet and exercise to fit an “ideal” frame it around doing activities and eating nourishing food you enjoy. You’ll be more apt to stick with it and appreciate the small changes and improvements to your overall health.
Spend more time on what you love about yourself. It’s super easy (and less productive) to stew over things we don’t like about ourselves, however, what about what you like about yourself? We bet you haven’t given it much thought and frankly, you should! Maybe you have really unique eyes, play them up. Perhaps you are proud of your strong legs, enter a marathon or deadlifting contest. Simply recognizing your kind soul is another good place to look. Whatever it is about yourself that you like—no love, focus on it and put your energy toward it. You will feel better and others will probably notice too.
Treat yourself how you would treat your friends. Along the same lines, it is time to stop being negative toward yourself. Would you ever tell your best friend they were ugly, fat or need some pimple cream? No! Then why do you sit there and do it to yourself? If you wouldn’t put up with verbal abuse from someone else then you shouldn’t put up with it from yourself. Negative self-picking only makes you feel worse and doesn’t help solve anything. Positive affirmations are where it is at. Speak it loud and proud and watch your confidence skyrocket.
Appreciate your uniqueness. That’s right, stop measuring yourself up to others. It is possible for there to be more than one way to be awesome so start flaunting the things that are uniquely awesome about yourself instead of trying to morph into your favorite celebrity. It’s ok to break the mold and just be cool because you are you and not somebody else.
Grow the whole package. You are more than your looks. Yes, it is important to take care of and feel good about your vehicle, but that’s not the only thing about you that matters. Do things that feed your soul and grow your story. Your body is there so you can experience life in many different ways and it’s a crime if you limit your living because of how you look. Live your life. You’ll be amazed at what simply being and enjoying different experiences does for your overall well-being.