Having a poor self-image can severely impact the way we live our lives. We may find it difficult to relate to people; to feel comfortable in public; to concentrate on things other than ourselves; or to gain the confidence to take important and sometimes necessary risks. Improving your self-image can greatly improve your quality of life. Improving your self-image isn’t easy, but it is possible. You have to be honest with yourself. Here are a couple of ways you can start to improve your self-image:
Look at your inner self as well as your outer self
We often make a connection between who we are as people and what we look like. We judge people based on what they wear and look like and we do the same to ourselves. The first step to improving your self-image is to identify the positive things about yourself and look deeper than your experience. Is your kindness and intelligence equal in value to your pimples? Do a few scars negate your sense of humour and loyalty? Weigh yourself fairly and try to see yourself as a whole person rather than just a face in the mirror.
Don’t feel ashamed about wanting to improve yourself
Sometimes we can fixate on our flaws. We think to ourselves that we’d look so much better with more hair or a less crooked nose or clearer skin. When we perpetually obsess over these things we could end up valuing ourselves based on the one thing we want to improve.
There’s a stigma attached to a lot of treatments that can deals with these issues. Things like plastic surgery are associated with narcissism.Taking measures to improve your opinion of yourself is nothing to be embarrassed about. There’s no shame in exercising to get fitter or reading to get smarter, so there’s nothing wrong with looking into treatments to help you improve your self-image.There are lots of people that can get a nose job or hair implants in Instanbul and feel like a brand new person afterwards. To be one of these people you need to think about what sort of flaws your looking to fix and question whether or not they might just be symptoms of a bigger problem. Is your flaw the cause of your poor self-image or is your poor self-image the cause of the flaw?
Change your motivation
Say, for example, that you want to lose weight because you want to be more attractive. When you have a goal that focuses solely on your exterior state it can lead to damaging habits. Instead, why not consider trying to lose weight to lead a healthier life? Instead of yo-yo dieting and focusing on quick fix results think about what you want to achieve in the long term. Change your motivation to include the things you want to achieve. You could aim to run a marathon to raise money for charity; go on hikes with your partner; teach healthy living to your children or aim to live long enough to see your grandchildren grow up. As soon as you change your motivation the problem becomes easier to solve. Wanting to be perfect is unrealistic, but wanting to be happy isn’t.
Improving your self-image is a long and tasking process. Sometimes it takes years and entails facing some harsh truths. You are your own worst enemy and your inner critic deserves some interrogation. Keep your focus on realistic goals and learn to love yourself.