Body Image is important because the way we see ourselves influences every aspect of our lives.

In the morning you look in the mirror and pull at the fat on your waist,

“Urgh fat cow” you say, 

“Why can’t you just stop eating?

A little later you feel ok about yourself, you look in the mirror, 

“These jeans look good on me” you check your butt out in the mirror.  

It’s the same person in the morning as it is in the jeans. So what happened? 

The body image and self perception shifted. The body did not.  

Body image and self - esteem start in the mind, not in the mirror. They can change the way you understand your value and worth. Healthy body image and self- esteem are a big part of well being.

Developing Healthy Body Image

The body image is flexible, the more flexible we can make our minds around the thoughts we have about our body, the healthier we will be. 

You don’t have to always be in a state of self acceptance ( or self rejection). Rather than trying to change the thought, change your reaction to them.  

You have the power to act upon the thought or not. 

You’ll have loving thoughts and painful thoughts, you just don’t need to attach so much importance to those thoughts.  

Next time you have the ‘fat cow’  thought just let it be a thought, remember this post and get on with your day. Be kind, practice gratitude, challenge your limits, step outside of your comfort zone from time to time, and watch your internal self image begin to shift. Remember that confidence does not belong to the most beautiful in the room. I have met so many models who do not think very highly of themselves and conversely I have met those who do not meet a standard ideal of beauty and they are beaming with confidence and this makes them SO attractive. Body image is not based on the reality of ourselves, it is an internalized and fluctuating self perception.

Written by Alexandra.
Edited by Deepa