What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see a powerful, independent, successful woman making her own way in the world? Or is the thing that draws your focus your blemishes, flaws, and imperfections?
It’s easy to hone in on the negatives when you look at yourself, but this is no way to live your life. A whopping 79% of women struggle with their self-esteem, finding fault with their physical appearance as well as other facets of their personality like their social ability and professional expertise.
But everyone has their positives, whether it’s being excellent at your job, being a great friend, or having a sharp sense of humor. Most women, and many men for that matter, do have body confidence issues and this can cause stress and anxiety that will affect all aspects of your life. Don’t let such minor things as an asymmetric smile or a curvy physique dictate how you should feel. You shouldn’t have to feel the pressure to lose weight or pay for expensive teeth whitening if you don’t want to.
The best thing you can do is work on your self esteem and try to feel more positive about who you are and what you look like. Here are four tips to boost your self image.
Shut down your inner voice
Whenever you hear your inner voice telling you that yu;re not good enough or pretty enough, don’t listen to it. You would never say these things about anyone else, so why should you take it yourself? Shut down the voice next time and don’t let it overwhelm your thoughts.
Identify your positive traits
Your physical imperfections are just a minuscule part of who you are. It’s human nature to see the negatives in everything but there are so many positives that cancel them out. Take a good look at yourself and identify the traits you can be proud of. What do your friends and family like about you? What are you good at? What good are you bringing to the world? This exercise will make you look more kindly on yourself and boost your self esteem.
Remember you’re not alone
As we’ve seen, the vast majority of women have similar self image issues. And even the most successful supermodels and A-list stars have gone on record with body confidence issues. This should help you realize that the problem is not with your appearance but your own perception of yourself.
Take a break from social media
Social media is both a force for good and bad in today’s society. Although it connects people to each other, it also leads us to make comparisons with those we follow online. You can’t go on Instagram without seeing a stream of beautiful human beings with seemingly perfect lives. But it’s important to remember that this is not real life. If it is making you feel bad then the best thing you can do is to take a break from social media and spend more time in the real world with the people you love.
