I’m Done Letting My Body Determine My Worth
Stop wasting time fretting over your body: here are the three definitive action steps for better self worth and body image.
I have to make a confession. I’m sick of weighing myself day in and day out. I’m sick of staring in the mirror, pulling at my loose and flabby skin, and wondering what I could have done better today. Should I have had only have that sandwich for lunch? Should I have asked for a dairy alternative in my coffee?
But here’s what I’ve found, and you probably have too: the more I tormented myself, the less progress I seemed to be making.
So here are the three mental shifts I’ve made — and you can too! — to get on a better track to physical and mental health.
1. Ditch the scale.
That bathroom scale you use everyday? It’s probably pretty crappy. Bathroom scales are shown to have wide discrepancies and readings can shift drastically in a matter of minutes. Further, our body weight fluctuates several pounds every day, depending on our diet and life patterns. So, don’t let a number — especially an inaccurate reading — determine your relationship with your body. Instead of weighing yourself daily, try every week or every month. Or just ditch the scale entirely for full freedom from the numbers.
2. Don’t worry about the morals of your food.
While it’s easy to throw food into two categories — good and bad — the most important function of your food is that it keeps you nourished. Is your day exponentially better if you have a cup of milk tea in the morning? Do you crave Neapolitan ice-cream before bed every night — even just a bite? It’s important to maintain a balanced diet, but stop berating yourself for making choices that make you happy. Starving yourself of any pleasure will only lead to binge eating in the future. Instead, be thoughtful about choosing food that provides real benefits to your body and mind. And let yourself indulge in what gives you joy. It won’t ruin your progress, I promise.
3. Stop believing in toxic positivity.
Just like food, we don’t have to attach a positive or negative connotation to our bodies. Do you know what’s amazing about your body? It’s a living system. In an online world where everyone seems to be parroting the same ideas, it’s easy to apply body positivity to others but not ourselves. If you find it’s not working, try ditching toxic positivity entirely. Beauty is subjective — and its changing everyday. So instead, try to push yourself away from thoughts centering around the aesthetics of bodies and understand that your body’s real superpower is keeping you alive.
