Written by Connie Rogers
You can’t beat yourself into a happy relationship with your body, you can’t be angry every day and love yourself.… and you can’t think your way out of addiction or depression.
If you have a hard time loving yourself, this is for you.
1- As children, we learn to emulate our parents. If our parents suffer from depression, low self-esteem, and lack of confidence, we do the same. This victim-mindset destroys body image. Make time to know yourself. Get off the sofa and turn off the video games. Are you doing what you want to do with your life, or are your days mundane and unadventurous? Do you wish you could…… (fill in the blank) What is standing in the way of your dreams?
2- The number one complaint I hear from adults is a lack of energy. The history of low energy has everything to do with what we consume, expose ourselves to, and how we neglect our bodies. Some examples of neglect include snacking all day, dehydration, and alcohol or sugar addictions.
Additionally, diet drinks can cause neurotoxicity and memory loss. Neurotoxins can literally destroy our way of thinking correctly and deplete energy. This is just a shortlist of energy stealers that can simultaneously harm body image.
3- Over the years, we’ve grown accustomed to serenade medications as a way of life. However, if we ignore the side-effects of these Benzos, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
Delving deeper into our sub-conscience, we may discover what is needed is more bonding, communication, and connection time with loved ones instead of medications.
Practicing meditation can be useful to help us cope and heal body image conflicts. When we discover Benzos don’t fix anything, we can create an atmosphere to heal.
How to Appreciate You!
Say to yourself- The body I have right now is incredible!
1- Move away from toxic emotions and enjoy life. Change your thinking, change your life.
Change is inevitable; however, making changes is sometimes done with reluctance. Some of us need to take baby steps. Begin to smile, breathe, and stay open to more possibilities.
Ask- what would my life be like if I were at peace with the body I have? You may wish to make your body healthier or stronger. You can do that out of love and respect for your body instead of fear and hate.
Start identifying the habits you want to change and plan on how you’ll make these changes happen. If fear is holding you back, think about how you might start to tackle it. You can begin by ignoring negative self-talk, and believe you can. Remember, toxic thoughts can sabotage goals.
2- Make food your friend. Don’t allow diets to steal your joy. Nourish your body instead of depriving it. Eat foods that love you back. Whole foods from Mother Nature’s Table are the necessary elements surrounding thoughts, moods, sustainable weight, decision-making skills, and actions for a healthy body image. These are proven to help heal the mind and body from destructive behaviors such as bulimia, trichotillomania, and suicidal tendencies.
3- Say no to stress that keeps you depressed. Enjoy your life with less stress. Get help from a certified health coach to move past the triggers that describe you as a victim. Move past the past means: work to get emotional trauma from the past out of your head. You can take long hikes, feel the sun, and connect with nature. Choose a new growth area you want to work on, and start to notice opportunities. Remember to be kind to yourself!
4- Practice gratitude instead of fear. You have the power to design the life you want. Empowering yourself with WELL-POWER is so much easier than trying to change toxic behavior with willpower. Turn exercise into something you can’t live without instead of a chore you think you have to do. Exercise and proper hydration give the body energy. Hang out with healthy people that choose colorful foods and positive expressions. Design your life with style; that’s why it’s called lifestyle. A healthy body image is all about how you design your lifestyle.
footnote:
neurotoxicity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC6080735/
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