3 Step Guide for Breaking The Cycle of Body Shaming
We've all been there: You're scrolling through Instagram and see a picture of someone with a perfect body. You start feeling insecure about your body, and then you feel bad about yourself. You know what I'm talking about, right? Well, it's time to break this cycle of body shaming that we've all fallen into at some point or another in our lives. It's time to change the way we think about ourselves—and others—because when you do so, you'll be able to be more confident in your own skin (literally).
It's time to break the cycle of body shaming
Body shaming is a form of bullying. It harms your self-esteem and can lead to depression and anxiety. Body shaming isn't just about weight, but also race, gender, age and other factors that make you who you are.
The first step in breaking the cycle of body shaming is understanding that it happens everywhere--from social media sites like Instagram or Facebook where people post pictures of themselves in swimsuits with comments about how "gross" their bodies look (or don't look), to schools where teachers call out students who eat lunch at their desk instead of joining their friends at the cafeteria table.
The next steps are deciding how much time you want to spend dealing with these issues now versus later in life; knowing when someone else's opinion matters; finding role models with similar body types, and learning what works best for YOU!
Step 1: Become More Mindful of The Words You Use to Describe Your Body
Becoming more mindful of the words you use to describe your body is the first step towards breaking the cycle of body shaming.
If you find that you have a habit of using negative language when talking about yourself, this is an excellent opportunity for self-reflection. Consider whether there are ways in which you can reinforce positive thoughts about yourself and your appearance. For example: instead of saying "I'm so fat," try saying something like "My curves are beautiful." Or try saying "I feel good in this outfit today" instead of dwelling on how much better other clothes would look on you (or worse yet, criticizing them).
Step 2: Practice Gratitude
Practice gratitude every day.
Gratitude journaling is a great way to go about this, but it can also be as simple as writing down three things you're grateful for in your journal or notebook (or on your phone) at the end of each day.
A gratitude meditation will help you focus on and appreciate the positive aspects of your life, which can help combat negative thoughts about yourself and even reduce stress levels! The technique is simple: take some time out from whatever else you're doing--even if it's just five minutes between classes--and sit quietly with eyes closed while focusing on five things that make you happy/grateful right now or at this moment in time (for example: "I'm grateful that I live near nature" or "I'm thankful my coworkers are supportive"). If possible try doing this outside; studies have shown that nature has calming effects on us humans!
Step 3: You Are More than Your External Body
When you're in the midst of body-shaming, it can be difficult to remember that your body isn't who you are. Your physical appearance is just one part of who you are as a person--it's not even the most important part! You have so much more going on inside of yourself than what's visible on the outside: thoughts, feelings and emotions; hopes and dreams; desires and ambitions; talents and abilities. And even though these things may not always be visible right now (or ever), they are still part of who we are as human beings.
We all have bodies that were given to us at birth by our parents' genes plus whatever random chance events led up to their conception (e.g., two people having sex). These bodies will eventually die off but our souls live on forever--and while they do so within our physical shells (or "vehicles"), those shells aren't really ours either because we don't own them--they belong only temporarily until we leave them behind when death comes knocking at our door again someday soon!
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