9 Ways to Boost Body Image Without Losing a Pound

Who doesn’t want to love what they see in the mirror? The truth is, you can take steps to start loving yourself more right now.

While losing weight may give a temporary boost to your self-esteem, linking self-worth to a dress size is never going to have a long-lasting effect. What can make a difference is changing the way you see what’s already there in the mirror.

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Unlike most men, experts say, women are rarely satisfied with their appearance and are always seeking a better body image. It’s a fact that women of all shapes and sizes are affected. This dissatisfaction with size and shape is linked to an even more serious problem: a lack of self-esteem.

Research suggests that in general, women have slightly lower self-esteem overall when compared to men. But when it comes to body image, there is an enormous gender gap, with women reporting an overwhelmingly greater body dissatisfaction when compared to men.

So why do women feel this way? When it comes to eroding women’s self-esteem, the first finger of blame almost universally points to the media. From sexy, leggy models in magazines, to ultra-thin celebs on the big and little screen, even ads for healthy and low-fat foods, media images seem to play on the need to be glamorous and skinny. Ironically, many of the images women use to judge themselves aren’t even real.

According to experts, self-denigration is the most damaging thing we can do to our self-esteem because it is so personal. With rejection of the body, a sense of identity and worth is vehemently attacked.
We pick up on the body-image culture from seemingly everywhere: school, work comments, friends, parties, tv, magazines with size zero models on every page. From our earliest days, we hear our physical appearance is critically important in every facet of our life.
But now, let’s find out how to build a better body image! Psychologists suggest certain ways to boost your body image and feel better about all of you.

1.Stop negative self-talk
While you still may not like what you see in the mirror, learning to describe yourself with neutral, objective phrases can help stop the cycle of poor self-esteem. When your self-esteem is high, you care more about yourself. Doing things that are good for you, like eating a healthier diet or exercising regularly, also comes much easier, and that often means we end up looking and feeling better.

2.Treat yourself with the same kindness and respect you show your best friend

3.Find and focus on the things you like about your looks
Every time you look in the mirror say something positive to yourself, instead of self-denigration

4. Buy what fits you, and look the very best you can
By doing so it sends a powerful message to yourself that you are worth it. If you’re putting off buying new clothes until you like your body better, don’t! You are eroding your self-esteem.

5.Learn to cherish your body’s uniqueness
Recognize that people naturally come in different shapes and sizes. Only 2% of the world’s women fall into the supermodel category. So…

6.Make peace with food
Food is not evil. It fuels our body to help us achieve great things. Try writing down what you were thinking and how you were feeling immediately before you ate something, and also if you denied yourself food that your body needed. Look for patterns and triggers. After a while, when you sense the approaching feeling or emotions that trigger your disordered eating habits, you will be able to choose differently and begin to break your patterns.

7.Focus on your hobbies
Doing what you love and getting better at something you enjoy gives you confidence. It gives you the ability to base your self-esteem on something other than your appearance.

8. Resist the urge to compare yourself to others!It can be a struggle to get past comparing yourself to celebrities and even good friends. But, no body is the same. We all are different shapes and sizes, and it’s time to embrace the beauty in that. It’s a lot more productive to focus on the positives of your body type rather than wishing for a different one.

9. Regular exercise
Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. It’s all about making exercise an enjoyable part of your everyday life.
Remember that boosting your body image is a process. It’s something you have to work on over time, and it will pay off.