This has happened to all of us. We are in the change room trying on the cutest jeans we have ever seen. As we pull them up we notice that things are looking a little tight. In other words they are looking too tight. Yet we still try and pull. In the end we are forced to give up. We might blame it on our thighs that are too big or perhaps even our hips that are too large. I know I have certainly felt that way in a change room. Immediately you start all the negative self talk. Damn… those chips that I ate. I knew I need to work out harder. Or perhaps.. well this would not happen to. We literally tear ourselves down.
The rise of social media is certainly not helping the situation. We are bombarded with pictures of all these perfect looking people that appear to have perfect lives. But how many of us actually realise that a lot of these pictures are filtered and those people only put the best pictures of themselves out. They only put the pictures out that they want you to see.
We all have insecurities. We don’t all submit that we do. No matter what size or shape we are. What if we build each other up instead of tearing each other down? How would this shift the world that we live in? What if we spread love, love to each other and love toward ourselves.
In her TedX talk Iskra Lawrence covers some tools to help and practice self care and love:
- List or think about 5 things that you love about yourself
- List or think about 5 things that you are grateful about which your body has done or enabled you to do
- List or think about 5 things that you are grateful about.
In the comments below please share any self care or love strategies that you practice and if you like how these have affected your life. This will add to a resource for all of us when we are in those situations where we feel lost or like crying because negative body images.
Nicole Reichert 