Why Not Loving Your Body is a Sign

Why Not Loving Your Body is a Sign

Mental Health & Self Love

May 11, 2021

Body insecurity is a prevalent stigma among teenagers. Census has shown the rising number of suicides due to body-shaming and degrading mental health. One way or another, the call for responding to this pressing issue starts with oneself.

While parents or friends can be of great help during such times, we are the one who ultimately rule our world. Likewise, finding happiness and satisfaction is an internal process that needs mastery. Therefore, self-awareness is the need of the hour, especially among teenagers who refrain themselves from speaking up.

Loaded with tips, this article will provide you with a fine number of reasons to understand yourself better and accept your body more openly. Want to know the secret to loving your body? Hop on!

Listen to your body

A growing body demands more. One way to enhance your overall image is by interpreting what it has to say. Confront the negatives you face and assert that there is always room for improvement.

Packing up thoughts and running away isn’t the solution, changing, however, is. If the bright shades don’t compliment you, go with ones that are chicer; if the sleek lips don’t fit right, contemplate the mattes. Beauty can be resonated in a thousand ways, by thousand body types but one thing that stays for sure is confidence. This is the concrete factor that controls how you feel and, sequentially, how you look.

Don’t let social media control you

Social media is an infamy when it comes to having ill-affects on peoples’ life. Number of likes on pictures seldom become the parameter of measuring social standing. This particularly has wider impact on teens.

According to American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, “Surveys show that ninety percent of teens ages 13-17 have used social media. Seventy-five percent report having at least one active social media profile, and 51% report visiting a social media site at least daily. On average, teens are online almost nine hours a day, not including time for homework.” Longer durations of social media activity can, in turn, shape our opinions, and we end up buying ideas that degrade our self-esteem.

For instance, believing that there is a ‘perfect body-type’ not only leads to anxiety, but we also start comparing ourselves with others. This sequential chain grows more and more until we finally start hating what we are blessed with. Understanding that social media can give a biased representation of varied opinions can help. One must make decisions based on what suffices their needs, and not what is supported by the majority.

Curves don’t define you

No beauty shines brighter than your heart

This cliché might sound reused, but the depth of these words will forever reverberate in the ocean of wisdom. It is applicable on every aspect of life and thus, becomes an indispensable factor of our growth-journey. What we wear doesn’t make us beautiful but rather, what makes us beautiful is what lies within: our character, our intentions, our perception and ultimately, the purity of our soul.

External beauty is momentary; it fades away in the long run. On the contrary, inner beauty is eternal. The aura of a natural smile shines brighter than the layers of glossy shades we put on ourselves. So, be unapologetically you.

Perfection is overrated

In the race of showing the world our ‘perfect angle,’ we seldom forget who we are. We forget our roots and run after something that doesn’t even resonate with us. The principal ruling the world right now is as simple as two-plus-two: perfection is overrated, and I mean it.

The imperfect giggles, the crazy choices, the marks on our skin, and the innocence of being indecisive completes us and makes us who we truly are. Impersonating someone else to only buy the vague idea of being perfect is a regular lie we tell to ourselves. The only good we can do to us is by staying true to what we feel.

Hiding yourself under covers is like limiting your horizons, be you and let your inner beauty shine. Emphasizing on the same, Demi Lovato took social media by storm after showing her stretch marks in an artistic way. Have a look below.

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A post shared by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato)

Opinions don’t matter

The quality of the people we surround ourselves with has a huge impact on our well-being. So, try to be around the ones who truly believe in you and elevate your self-esteem. One major reason why most people undermine themselves is because they rely too much on what others think of them.

People can have varied point of view when it comes to a specific topic. In a worst-case scenario, some views can even be biased. In this paradoxical stream of opinions, we must prioritize our beliefs.

At the end of the day, we have to face the consequences of our own doings, so it’s important to have each other's back. We know ourselves the best, after all we’ve been living in this skin for years! Forget about frames people put you into and be the best version of yourself!

Hear me out

My personal approach on this matter is simple: just go with the flow. Don’t be too hard on yourself. What other people think about you is a reflection of their disposition, but what you do with yourself is going to change your life forever, so do what makes you feel more like yourself.

The only universal truth we are barred from is that we cannot be perfect for everyone. No, this isn’t as incredulous as it might sound, but definitely needs time to be fathomed. Remember, experiences teach us the way life works, so keep moving forward with your head towards the sun, love the skin you are bestowed, interpret the stories your scars have to say, you are a warrior and let the world see it; you were born in this divine sheath, own it!

Khushi Yadav
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Khushi Yadav is a high school senior, based in India. Besides her passion for writing, she loves reading novels, figuring out patterns in the sky, admiring purple hues of twilight, and doing activism.

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