Our body image is definitely something both men and women torture themselves over. It used to be a common belief that only women were bothered about their image, but we’re sure you can all admit that men are now just as conscious as girls.
Men will spend nearly the same amount of time getting ready and grooming themselves to go out, which is absolutely fine. It’s good for people to care about what they look like. But spending time in front of the mirror just nitpicking every minor detail you hate about yourself is not.
It can be hard to get out of a routine like this, especially if every time you see yourself in the mirror the only thing that comes to mind is negativity.
What’s Going On In Our Minds?
Our minds are incredible, just look at how strong the placebo effect can be in certain situations. We have the power of positive thinking.
Our mind holds a lot of power, and one thing it has the power to do is completely control us. If we think rationally, it is us who is in control. But when we’re thinking irrationally, such as when we’re getting ourselves worked up over something like body image, our own thoughts take over, and it can be really hard to snap out of it.
What you can try and do though is train your mind to think differently, and take away those self-conscious thoughts that you have about so many different things. I promise, it won't be easy but your outlook on life will change dramatically if you just stop caring about what people think for once.
The Things We’re Most Self Conscious About
It's easy to be self-conscious about pretty much everything about ourselves. Our hair, our face, our body… the list could go on because we’re just so great at picking out faults that just aren’t there.
Social media can definitely be to blame in certain situations. If you're following someone who makes you feel bad about yourself, your body and/or mind. Unfollow them! ASAP!
Something I find incredibly interesting is the mindset that South Koreans have towards plastic surgery. Seoul has the highest rate of plastic surgeries in the world and various surgeries and augmentations are given to people as gifts for graduating high school. In Korea getting work done on yourself is not something to hide, but something to be celebrated.
If you really hated something about yourself, seeing someone like Dr Tavakoli could change your entire outlook on life. I think we could learn something about not shaming others for fixing things they don't like about themselves.
Break the Habit
Sometimes what really affects our mind and body is what we put in it. Eating unhealthy foods can play tricks on you and make you think that you are unhealthy. While that saying “you are what you eat” isn’t entirely true, the food you consume can affect how you’re going to feel both physically and mentally. Something such as a fasting-mimicking diet can help with feeling physically better when eating.Just remember that you are perfect exactly the way you are. Say a big F-You to the beauty standards we’re dealing with.
I mentioned earlier about changing our way of thinking, but how do you think you can do that, realistically? Don't forget that social media only shows the absolute best part of others' lives, edited and filtered for you to see. It's not real life. Not really.
Try to catch yourself whenever you realise you're thinking bad things about yourself. Instead, tell yourself something you really like about yourself. I might have dark circles under my eyes but I have nice and defined fluffy brows.
Stop comparing yourself to others. Dr Seuss once said "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
It won't be an easy road, but it gets a bit easier every time!
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