When Madonna said “we are living in a material world”, she was absolutely right. The beauty industry has been making money over our insecurities since day one. At the same time we are talking more about the impossible beauty standards that society imposes on us, it feels like we are still getting hit by the bodies and plastic faces waves that are going around the physical and virtual world.
As the Internet grows and becomes more influential in our society, we get more vulnerable to feeling overwhelmed by unreal “perfect” bodies and lives. The things we see online aren’t always true. Behind the scenes, the cameras and the glitter, every single person that has a public life struggles with something. People who perfectly fit beauty standards that are trending at the moment still fight against body image issues, and that only shows us how beauty is more of an internal process than an external one.
It’s about time to realize that, in order for us to feel comfortable with our bodies, we don’t have to change anything physical — we must focus on our minds.
Today, I’ll help you with that!
I’ve prepared a list of practices to make you feel more comfortable with your body. Let’s get down to it, shall we?
1. Follow *real* Instagram profiles
What kind of content are you consuming online? If you only follow people who seem to have a perfect life, a perfect face and a perfect body, it is only a matter of time until you start feeling bad about your own life.
When it comes to following people on social media, we must be careful!
I used to follow a lot of celebrities and influencers who seemed to have everything figured out and I quickly began to feel like I would always be a hundred steps behind them. Impossible lifestyles and beauty standards don’t really work for me, and once I figured that out, my life has improved so much!
My social media went from being flooded with plastic faces and bodies to being flooded with real people. People like me, with similar bodies and lifestyles, but also people completely different from me. Having diversity on your screen as you scroll down your Instagram makes a huge difference. That made me understand that I wasn’t a hundred steps behind the rest of the world; I was walking side by side with so many amazing and wonderful people out there!
At the end of the day, we all want to love our mirror images. So why don’t we do it together and unfiltered? Try to follow accounts that make you feel seen, heard and hugged. That’s the best thing the Internet can do for us: to make us realize we are NOT alone!
2. Try out exercises that make you feel connected with your body
I’m not talking about hardcore workouts to define your abs; I’m talking about doing things that help you see how strong and powerful you are.
Exercising is great for your physical and mental health, and doing it is a great way of feeling better about yourself. You should do it because you enjoy it, not because you feel the need to change your body somehow.
I’m not saying you can’t change your body! Just make sure this is coming from a healthy place and that you can still find beauty in you despite any further changes.
Yoga is a great example of a practice that strengthens the bond between you and your body. Boxing, pilates and going out for a run can also help you with that! Try out new things, I’m sure you’ll find what works best for you. The priority here is to help you understand that exercising doesn’t have to be stressful or forced; it can be a fun and healthy way to keep your mind happy and occupied.
3. Stop comparing yourself!
Olivia Rodrigo once said: “I know their beauty is not my lack, but it feels like that weight is on my back and I can’t let it go”. Unfortunately, I think we can all relate to that at some point, am I right?
Have you ever felt like everyone else in this world looks prettier than you? We have all been there, honey…
But here’s the thing we must wrap our heads around: different people have different bodies, that’s a fact. Don’t measure yourself with someone else’s ruler.
Comparing your body to someone else’s will only make you feel worse about yourself. I guarantee you that the person you’re comparing yourself to also struggles with their own image. This is going to be a never ending cycle if you don’t break it first!
It’s easier said than done; trust me, I know that. To stop comparing yourself to other people demands practice, time and commitment, but it’s worth it.
You deserve to celebrate your body without feeling smaller than you are. There’s so much beauty in you!
4. Treat yourself with kindness
This might come out as something obvious, but you have to start treating yourself with kindness. When was the last time you’ve done that?
Ouch… I know.
If someone you love deeply trusts their insecurities in you, would you be mean to them or try to make them feel better about themselves? I’ll go even further and ask you: if a stranger trusts their insecurities in you, how would you treat them? I don’t know you, but I’m positive you would do your best to make them feel better.
So how come you don’t treat yourself like that too?
Being an empath to others is such a beautiful thing, but use that goodness in you to lift yourself up as well. Take it easy on you! Whenever you’re having a bad day, the best thing to do is to respect your time and your feelings.
You know that little voice in the back of your head that keeps telling you you’re not enough? Don’t listen to it, ignore it, fight it back. Treat yourself with the kindness you would treat a stranger with.
5. Take good care of your mental health
As I said previously, self-esteem is more of an internal process than an external one. So if we’re talking about feeling comfortable with our bodies, we’re talking about maintaining a good and stable mental health.
Therapy is the key when it comes to that. Talking about your insecurities out loud might help you understand their source and how to cope with them.
However, if you can’t afford professional help right now, try to find new ways to keep your head at a good place. Meditation is a great tip, but there’s no golden key when it comes to this; you must figure out what works better for you by trying new things out.
Remember the exercising tip? It’s also a great way to maintain a healthy mind. Small habits tend to make a huge difference! Eating more healthy meals, getting a good amount of sleep, drinking a proper amount of water, doing the things you love the most…
Let’s take it one day at a time, okay?
I want you to know that you’re not alone in this crazy journey. Small progress is still progress, keep that in mind!
I’m sure you’re doing your best right now, and I am so proud of you! There’s so much beauty in you, I really hope you see it eventually.
I see you, I hear you, I get you. We’re in this together!
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The article above was edited by Giovana Lins Barbosa.
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