Feelings of self-awareness come in many forms and can affect many areas of life. When you're worried about being aware of your own weight or body, you may want to hide under your clothes or not go out as often as you normally would. Surprisingly, it's not only girls who feel inferior about their bodies, some guys do too. In fact, people of all shapes and sizes can have problems with their body confidence, even if they are not overweight. There are a number of things you can do to get over your feelings of inferiority and start accepting and loving your body the way it is.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Challenging Your Self-Awareness
Step 1. Remind yourself that self-awareness is a feeling, not a fact
When you feel self-conscious, it's as if a spotlight has been pointed at you. Every aspect of yourself seems to be on display for others, especially your flaws. Know that self-awareness is just a feeling within you. Most of the time, people are too busy with themselves to really care about you.
When you feel more and more self-conscious about your body, express it instead of holding it in. Tell a close friend or relative about your feelings. That way, you can get a true opinion outside yourself
Step 2. Find out the source of the worry
In order to start fighting your emerging lack of self-confidence, you have to find its roots. Was your childhood teased for your weight? Is there a certain person who always makes you too self-conscious? Does your mom or dad keep telling you to lose weight?
Step 3. Deal with people who make you worry too much about your weight
If your concerns are rooted in other people's judgments, there are a solution or two. You need to look deep within yourself to determine if your relationship with this person is worth the pain they inflicted through judgment or malicious words.
- If this person is a distant friend or acquaintance whose insults make you feel dissatisfied with yourself, you may need to cut ties with that person. You deserve relationships that support you, not ones that destroy you.
- If the person judging your weight is a close friend or family member, you need to confront them. This person should be aware of how their words affect you. Once you confront them, this person can recognize the dangers of what he's saying and stop mocking or judging you.
- If you decide to confront the person, you should tell them beforehand that you want to talk and choose a neutral place to meet. Use "I" statements and avoid blaming the person. Just vent your feelings with facts. An example of this statement could sound like "I feel annoyed/sad/embarrassed when you comment about my weight. I would really appreciate it if you would stop doing it."
Step 4. Ask yourself if other people are really judging you
If your efforts to identify the source of your weight-conscious feelings are not yielding anything, it could be because these feelings are more ingrained. Maybe you lack confidence in your own body because of the messages shown in the media. Maybe your body shape and size is not the same as the models or actresses on television and that makes you feel unhappy with yourself. Maybe you've tried to lose weight and failed in the past so now you're punishing yourself mentally and emotionally.
This is the time to make yourself aware of the messages the media is showing. Both women and men have made the unattainable bodies depicted on television and magazines the ideal benchmark when these bodies have been photoshopped to look perfect. Tell yourself that the real body comes in all shapes and sizes. Look around; every day you see various beautiful people with different body types
Method 2 of 3: Accepting Yourself As You Are
Step 1. Learn to accept yourself as you are now
Even if you are overweight, your body is still a wonderful gift. Your heart never stops beating. Your brain is a supercomputer. Your eyes allow you to see the beauty in your life and surroundings. You have a lot to be grateful for if you can see, hear, smell, move and think for yourself. Practice some body loving activities to learn to accept your body as it is.
- As you get out of bed each morning, marvel at your body's strength and tenacity. Both legs can take you everywhere. Both of your hands can tie shoelaces and hold various objects. Your nose can catch the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Isn't your body a miracle?
- Stand in front of the mirror and think positively about what you see in front of you. Before you go to the bathroom or change clothes, stand naked or just put on your underwear and admire your amazing body. Say this: "I fully accept and love myself now as I am. I am grateful for this amazing body and for this gift of life."
Step 2. Fight negative thoughts
If during this activity there are various negative thoughts entering your mind, do not be served. Instead, think about how amazing your body is.
- Reframing means turning your negative perspective into a positive one. This step takes practice, but once you can identify any thoughts that are unhelpful or negative (the sign: thoughts that make you feel unhappy), you can destroy these self-talk and reframe them.
- For example, you might say: "I look ugly in this dress. Everyone will laugh at me." As you reframe, ask yourself was there ever a time when everyone laughed at you? If the answer is no, you can reframe this statement to "Everyone has different tastes in style. I love this outfit and that's all that matters." This reframe step is not only more positive but also more realistic.
Step 3. Re-evaluate your beliefs
Sometimes we feel unhappy about ourselves for holding on to ingrained beliefs about what we should or shouldn't be. An example of an ingrained belief is, "To look attractive, I have to be thin." Know that it's okay to give up beliefs that no longer work for you.
- Ask yourself how you would react if you found out that a good friend had been hurting himself all along. You will probably tell him how beautiful he is. You will point out all his strengths and tell him that he has a lot to offer in his life.
- Say these things to yourself when you realize that you have been a victim of negative beliefs or attitudes about your body. Say things like "I'm smart. I have beautiful skin. I looked great in that dress last night."
Step 4. Find out if there is a deeper problem
If you have persistent problems with self-confidence or a poor body image that causes you to go on an extreme diet or refuse to eat, you should see a therapist who has experience with body image problems and eating disorders. A mental health therapist in your area can help apply cognitive and behavioral techniques that help you modify existing negative thoughts about your body and develop healthier habits.
Another option for improving self-confidence is to attend a body image group. The therapist may be able to refer you to a group around you or he may have a group he attends regularly. Such groups can help you connect with other people who are going through similar body image issues, and allow you to find the courage to work through these issues with support
Method 3 of 3: Taking Action
Step 1. Remove the scales
This step may seem counterintuitive, but getting rid of the scales is a great way to stop obsessing and feeling unhappy about your weight. As it turns out, scales are only one way - and not the most reliable - of measuring your progress. Also, if you weigh yourself every morning and punish yourself for staying the same on the scale, this may cause disproportionately more problems.
- Weight can be misleading, because 68 kilograms will look very different in a person who is 157.5 cm tall than in a person who is 170 cm tall.
- Instead of focusing on your weight, track your progress in a more reliable way, such as having regular blood tests to check your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. These numbers can provide more useful information about your health, and can also indicate disease if it is moving in the wrong direction (too high or too low).
- Visit a gym or gym and get a body composition test done. Such measurements can tell whether you are within a healthy range for your body mass index (BMI) and whether you have lost fat and gained muscle, both factors that often affect what your weight looks like on the scale.
Step 2. Develop a clean diet
If you are not satisfied with your own weight, following a healthy diet can help you feel more confident. This step is a proven way that you can act against your own body worries. Try to eat authentic, nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, seafood, whole grains, nuts, and low-fat dairy. Avoid processed foods that have been altered from their original form.
- Visit choosemyplate.gov to learn about the United States Department of Agriculture's recommendations for a balanced diet (in English).
- If you are interested in receiving personalized feedback tailored to you in relation to your current BMI and lifestyle, see a registered dietitian.
Step 3. Stay active
The second most instrumental factor in becoming healthier is having a regular fitness program. This doesn't mean spending hours in the gym. A physical fitness program may include a range of activities you enjoy such as volleyball, swimming or dancing. Regardless of what you're doing, regular exercise helps you burn calories, feel better about your physical appearance, gain more energy and reduce stress.
Step 4. Set a target for yourself
Setting goals allows you to create a roadmap for achieving success. Setting goals helps us to evaluate whether our daily actions are moving us toward or away from them. Plus, achieving a goal gives you confidence and builds self-esteem. If you want to be less concerned about your weight, you can try developing a weight loss or fitness goal such as eating more vegetables or exercising five days a week. Just make sure that your goals are S. M. A. R. T.
- Specific. You set a specific goal by answering the 5 W's. (Who) Who is involved? (What) What do you want to achieve? (Where) Where will this goal be achieved? (When) When will this goal start/end? (Why) Why are you doing this?
- Measurable (measurable). Good goal setting involves recording and measuring progress.
- Achievable (achievable). While you need challenging goals, you also need goals that are reasonable and achievable. For example, you shouldn't set a goal to lose an unusually large amount of weight in a very short time.
- Results-focused (focus on results). Targets that are S. M. A. R. T. focus on results. You keep track of your progress over time and see if you've reached that goal in the end.
- Time bound. Timeline is also important in setting targets. You should set a time frame that is practical but not too far off that you lose focus.
Step 5. Dress and dress up as best you can
Another way to get rid of anxiety is to feel more confident about how you look. Visit a stylist to get a haircut or style your hair to further enhance your face shape. Also, open your closet and check every piece of clothing you have. Ask yourself if each outfit makes you feel happy, confident and attractive. Are you constantly tugging or tugging at certain parts? If certain clothes don't satisfy you, throw them away (or donate them to charities that accept wearable clothes).
- You may not have the money to buy an all-new wardrobe. Hold on to some clothes you like, and as you earn some extra cash, buy new clothes that make you feel confident and who you want to be. You have to smile at yourself when you try on these outfits.
- Look for boutiques or clothing stores that offer custom-fit and tailor-made clothes with high-quality fabrics. Clothes like this don't have to be expensive but just look and feel good quality. Choosing well-made clothes can go a long way in boosting your self-confidence and making your body look more beautiful in them.
Tips
- Always be honest with yourself. If dressing in a certain way makes you feel happy, don't change your style because of other people's comments.
- You don't always have to stick to the concept of having to wear black to look skinny. Other colors can look great on people of all body shapes and sizes. Try what you feel is right for you.
