We all experience moments of low self-esteem, and the onslaught of body shaming messages from social media can make it hard to recognize your own worth and beauty. But don’t let those negative voices drag you down or stop you from being who you really are – instead, learn how to challenge that inner critic with strategies such as positive affirmations, self-care, and loving-kindness toward yourself.
Understanding Body Shaming and its Effects on Self-Esteem
Body shaming can have devastating effects on individuals, causing them to lose confidence and self-esteem. It’s a form of bullying that targets physical appearance, health, and lifestyle choices. When someone is subject to body shaming, it can lead to low self-worth, damaged relationships, depression and even eating disorders. It’s important to understand how body shaming works in order to help one rebuild their confidence. As Christina Hendricks says, "all of the things they warn you about that could go wrong, went wrong. It has been an incredible journey of ups and downs. It’s been so stressful". Taking proactive steps such as learning more about what makes us beautiful in our own way and changing negative thoughts into affirmations are just a few things people can do to start feeling better about themselves. With practice, people of all genders, sizes, and shapes can gain the skills they need to push past body shaming and foster healthy self-esteem.
Recognizing Unhelpful Thoughts Created by Body Shaming
Body shaming can leave us feeling overwhelmed with negative emotions, criticizing ourselves for everything down to our physical appearance or even the clothes we wear. It’s never healthy to be berating oneself, and it only serves to compound feelings of insecurity. To combat the unhelpful thoughts created by body shaming, it’s important to recognize those destructive patterns of thinking, and become aware of how they are impacting our self-esteem. It might take time and effort, but by reinforcing positive self-talk and working on rebuilding confidence, you can begin pushing those thoughts away and investing your energy in activities that make you happy. Ultimately, no one should have their self-worth linked to a number on a scale or a description in a magazine: you are capable of more than what others say about you!
Identifying Your Values and Prioritizing Them Over Physical Appearance
It can be difficult to keep sight of your values and prioritize them over physical appearance, especially when cultural pressures encourage self-criticism and comparison. But when we focus on our core beliefs and principles, rather than how we feel about our bodies or what society expects from us, we become more resilient and empowered to express our authentic selves without feeling burdened by judgment. Identifying what is important to you—humor, friendship, spirituality, creativity—allows you to create a narrative that affirms who you are and guides your actions. No amount of body shaming will ever compete with believing in yourself, in staying true to the values that mean something special to you.
It is important to recognize unhelpful thoughts created by body shaming, understand why they can be so powerful and damaging, and be proactive when it comes to shifting your focus to what truly matters – your values. With self-compassion and reframing your mindset with empowering messages through ongoing conversations within yourself, hopefully, we can all learn to accept our bodies for their physical and emotional value regardless of what anyone else says or does.
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