Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful

Article appears courtesy of The Wellness Scientist.

I’ve been reading a lot online lately about motivation over the past couple of months.  During that time I have encountered many cool, interesting, and extremely motivating blogs written by fabulous women of all ages from all over the world.

One thing that has been really disturbing to me is the number of young women out there who have so much self-hate and dissatisfaction with their bodies … many to the point of having an eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating.

Most of us have looked in the mirror and not liked what we saw there.  To this day, every time I try on clothes, I still see myself as the overweight 12-year-old girl that I once was.  It can be a huge challenge to look in the mirror and not be critical, but I promise you, this is the MOST IMPORTANT relationship that you will ever have.

Facts About Teens and Body Image

The National Institute on Media and the Family has posted these facts:

• In a survey of girls 9 and 10 years old, 40% have tried to lose weight, according to an ongoing study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
• In a study on fifth graders, 10 year old girls and boys told researchers they were dissatisfied with their own bodies after watching a music video by Britney Spears or a clip from the TV show “Friends”.
• A 1996 study found that the amount of time an adolescent watches soaps, movies and music videos is associated with their degree of body dissatisfaction and desire to be thin.
• One study reports that at age thirteen, 53% of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen.

The Truth About Self-Love

Most people have a little voice inside that has told them that they are “not good enough” for something.  This can ruin our lives and often does ruin our relationships.

What people are really searching for out there is self-love … but they are looking for a job or a relationship to fill that void.  No person or possession can fill that void.  It is solely up to you.

Practicing Self-Love

It’s time to let go & start practicing.  Self-love must be unconditional.  You can’t only love yourself when you’ve been a “good girl” – that’s too easy.  You have to also love the girl who ate the Oreo ice cream sundae or the girl who hasn’t been to the gym in three months.  Like everything else … practice makes perfect.  Once you have begun to love yourself in a real way, you begin to see a shift in how you prioritize your life.

“Happiness is … looking in the mirror and liking what you see.” – Unknown

People who are self-loving see a whole person when they look in the mirror and not just flaws. Keep this in mind. The next time you look at yourself in the mirror, try being a little less critical of the person looking back at you. Let your new mantra be … “Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful.” Say it every time you look in the mirror. Before long, you may just start liking what you see.