Respecting yourself and your body can be a challenging thing to do in today’s image-focused culture. We saw this in the research presented in Part one of this two part blog series. The media is extremely problematic in the way it encourages unrealistic standards based on societal ideals, leaving young adults and adolescents vulnerable to this messaging.

Mutually, there is a diet culture that influences how we view ourselves, our body and our worth. It’s difficult to truly appreciate the body you have until you create your own values around it, and get rid of those values that society has set for you. Ideally, YOU need to define what is important to you when thinking about your body.

In the book, Health At Every Size, author Lindo Bacon writes “Accepting yourself as you are today doesn’t mean giving up. It means learning to live in the present with the body you have. It means facing and acknowledging reality.” Learning to accept the body you have is not always going to be easy, AND working towards dismantling the connection between self-worth and appearance will help you in the right direction of finding self love & acceptance.

Below are some helpful (and simplified) tips to knowing our worth, our bodies and ourselves:

Tip 1: Know and believe that your weight DOES NOT DEFINE YOU! “My weight is not a problem. Society’s problem about weight is the problem.” -Lindo Bacon. This is the most challenging part and you can help work on this by shaping your own values and explore concepts of beauty, body and weight.

Tip 2: Call out the myths that you’ve believed about diet culture and find the truth about them, so you can destroy the power that they may hold over you. To do this, you may want to start with what you’ve been telling yourself as true and think about how you can respond differently. 

Tip 3: Find that self-acceptance! Find more confidence in knowing who you are as a person, who you are at the core, and what defines you… NOT what your body looks like. Make a list of everything that you love about yourself. All the small and big things. When your brain starts to go negative look at this list to remind yourself of all your strengths.

Tip 4: Reframe, reframe, reframe your thoughts! When scrolling through social media, you may notice a thought: “She looks so much prettier and skinnier than I am”, perhaps attempt to reframe that thought: “That’s her body and I am a beautiful person inside and out”. If you have a hard time with this don’t give up. The more you practice this, the more you will realize that it has been your attitude and perception of yourself that was stopping you from moving forward.

Tip 5: Find support. Talk to others who may be going through something similar. Consider seeking a therapist or registered dietitian who specializes in body image healing, or support groups.

The next time you scroll social media and you start to think negatively, start to compare yourself, or start to feel like you need to change because you don’t fit a certain image …. put your phone down. Practice one or more of these tips and remind yourself that you are WORTHY of self love, of self compassion. You are WORTHY of living PROUDLY in the body you have. 

BONUS SURPRISE! Stay tuned for part THREE of this blog series, where we’ll highlight some really supportive social media accounts that emphasize body diversity and challenging societal norms, or diet culture ideals!

References:

Bacon, L. (2010). Health at every size: The surprising truth about your weight. Dallas, TX: BenBella Books.