Drea’s guide on how to love your boDy
In a world obsessed with body image, it’s no wonder girls are having a harder time than ever loving their bodies. Since the beginning of time girls have had a hard time looking in the mirror and thinking, “Damn, I look good!” But now, with selfies, and instagram, snapchats and constant cameras in our faces, body issues are at an all-time high.
But, why? Why should how you feel about yourself be dependent on how good someone else looks? Why should your self-love be stacked against someone else’s? Why can’t you look in the mirror and see all the beauty?
It’s almost cruel to think that so many fabulous girls look in the mirror and think negative thoughts: I hate my thighs, I wish my butt were smaller, I’ll never have her abs, my hair is so thin, my skin is so bad… We spend hours looking in the mirror and saying horribly mean things to ourselves. Things we would never say to someone we love.
That’s the key. Things we would never say to someone we love—are the same things we repeat to ourselves daily. We need to learn to love ourselves. To strengthen our love for our bodies and minds. To love who we are and be confident that we are amazing inside and out. We need to talk to ourselves with words of kindness and positivity—words that will lift our spirits and build our confidence.
One of the healthiest things you can achieve in your lifetime is self-love; the only love that truly matters really. If you can learn to love yourself, then everything else will be bright and positive. Your energy will clear up and your capacity to achieve success will have no ceiling.
How can you get to that place? Simpler than you think.
Stop comparing yourself to other people. This is true for so many reasons—you have no idea how happy these other people really are. Are you sure you want to compare yourself to the unknown? Also, if the person you are comparing yourself to is a celebrity or blogger or just someone from a picture… it’s not real. If you walked around photo-shopped all day, you’d look 100% perfect 100% of the time too!
Be your own best friend. Ever heard of fake it till you make it? Well it’s true! When you look in the mirror, say something nice. Find what you love and build on it. Give yourself compliments. Be nice to yourself. If you love yourself, other people will too. Then it just spirals upward from there—all of a sudden everyone is saying awesome nice things about you, and you believe them!
Surround yourself with great people. Surround yourself with other confident, happy, positive people. If you are around people who are constantly criticizing themselves, then you will find yourself guilty of the same behavior. But, if you are around people who exercise healthy confidence, then you will too. Happiness is contagious, try it, trust me.
Practice good habits. Eat right, work out, stay fit, take care of your skin, and sleep well. All of these are good habits that breed great outcomes. The benefits of eating right and working out go far beyond the outside appearance. Yes, granted, they make you look better and make your skin healthy and all that, but more importantly, they fill your body with positive hormones that’ll make you feel incredible on the inside as well. If your insides are happy, your outside will smile.
You are more than your body. I know this sounds cliché, but when you look in the mirror, don't you see more than just legs, arms, tummy and a face? Don't you also see achievements, brains, happiness, and all that other wonderful stuff people are made of? Well, if you don't, then you should look harder. See yourself for who you are, not just the body that gets you there. Look in the mirror and hug yourself. You're awesome!
A healthy lifestyle is important. Once that’s done, stop staring. Stop scrutinizing and tearing yourself apart. Take care of your body and love yourself. If you can learn to love yourself, truly love who you are, mind, body and soul, then you’ll finally be able to see what everyone has always seen—you’re beautiful!