Body image is the way in which you see yourself when you look in the mirror, and your mental image of yourself. Is there such thing as a perfect body image? No one should feel inferior simply because they are too skinny, too fat, too short, too tall, or however they look. Judgements should not be made based on only appearance. We are all humans. Body image should not be a big dividing force; yet it has a strong impact on behaviour. The thought of having a distorted body image appears to be the strongest driving force that causes eating disorders. This article will advise you on how to create the comfortable body image and how to deal with uncomfortable situations that cause you to doubt your appearance.

 

 

The first step to a comfortable body image is to alter the way in which you think about yourself. You should adjust the way you feel about you, build your confidence. That is the number one rule to having a comfortable body image. No one should make you feel inferior without your consent. I am sure we have all received negative comments about our appearance in one way or another at some point in time. These comments often lead to us questioning ourselves and it reduces our self-esteem. The way to deal with negative comments is to simply ignore them. If you are confident about yourself then comments should not be taken personally because you would know these comments are not necessarily true. You can use humour as a defence mechanism to allow yourself to deal with these comments. It is also necessary that we all understand that words are a powerful tool, think before we pass judgments; you cannot take the words back once they have left your mouth.

 

You can start to build your confidence by finding the positive features on your body. Know your strengths and weaknesses. By doing this, negative comments would not be taken personally because you have already identified your own flaws. By identifying your strengths you might find that it outweighs your weaknesses. You should accept compliments and try your best to compliment yourself, when you receive judgements take it as a learning experience; accept it in a positive way. Use the criticisms to make improvements about yourself rather than sulking about it and feeling self-pity. Try to be cheerful and see the positive side of life, be the type of person that see’s the glass half full rather than half empty.

 

Besides creating a better mental image of yourself, you could try creating a physically better image. I am sure you have heard that you should engage yourself in physical exercises and maintain a healthy diet. Well…

 

 

 all of this is true, by engaging yourself in physical exercise you will find that it enables you to feel more comfortable in your body. You can start with simple exercises that can be done at home such as squats, triceps dibs, lunges, planks and abdominal crunches; do three sets of each at up to 20 repetitions. By building your confidence first at home you will be more motivated to go out and get physically active. After doing exercise you can be sure that you will feel relieved. ‘You are what you eat’: be aware of what you put in your mouth each day. I am not telling you to go on a crash diet because that will only do more harm than good. Base your diet on nutritious and wholesome food; by eating well you will be assured that your body will look good. Allow yourself the occasional treat, but treat your body well on the inside and it will reflect on the outside.

 

To conclude, I want to remind you to wear clothes for your body type, look at your body as a whole to get a full perfect body image, be positive, and remember your body in unique and so are you. Do not let judgements get too personal. Lastly, track your progress; it will motivate you to continue building your perfect body image.