My imperfections make me beautiful. And sometimes they are annoying. Trying to remember to love my body is one of my biggest struggles in self-development and my journey alongside happiness.
Sometimes I type in “motivational body quotes” into Pinterest just to see what new advice is available to me. Sometimes I catch myself saying “Oh, that’s new! A good one!” But majority of the time I’m thinking “Great, one more quote that tries to reinforce the fact that my body dysmorphia is crap.”
Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental disorder in which you can’t stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance – whether others can see it or not.
I lost 80lbs and it still wasn’t enough. And I am learning that it is more about acceptance and a new perspective that will ease the discomfort associated with this condition.
I am certainly not perfect with my routine but here are a few things that have happened me:
- Set a reminder on your phone to repeat a mantra, keep it simple and repeat it as many times are you want to. (“I am enough. I am loved. I am safe.”)
- Start each morning with two deep breaths. If you feel comfortable doing it, inhale confidence and exhale doubt.
- When you look in a mirror, say one nice thing about your body (“Thank you for carrying me” or “You’ve been through a lot, I understand). Accept all other thoughts (we aren’t trying to get rid of them in this exercise).
- Write a short note on the bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker or leave a post-it on your desk that says something short and sweet. A quick visual reminder.
- When you catch yourself shaming your body, pat yourself on the back. Because you are consciously shaming yourself then you have the opportunity to start reshaping your mindset. Say “Thank you shaming part of me, this must be difficult for you. I don’t want to get rid of you, but you aren’t needed so strongly right now.” Toss in a compliment to yourself even!
The last one (#5) is more challenging but has helped me tremendously.
I would love to hear what others do in order to help with body shaming and staying positive?
Mood Motivation 