Posted by How to Create a Positive Self-Image
Creating a positive self image is important to achieving self esteem. A person’s true self is revealed when they let go of all the labels, judgments, and stories they’ve imposed on themselves. They become natural people when they let go of their pretentiousness and remove all of their masks.
Positive Self Image Introduction
It’s easy to love others, but it can be hard to love yourself. It can be hard to find the positive qualities in yourself that make you lovable, and it can be hard to remind yourself of these qualities on days when you feel low about yourself or have trouble believing them.
But with some effort, you can learn how to love yourself, and in doing so, you’ll be able to give and receive love from others more easily and deeply than before. This guide will show you how to cultivate a positive self-image so that you can start loving yourself today.
Stop Comparing
Constantly comparing yourself to others is going to damage your self-esteem and make you feel inferior, not superior. When we say I hate my thighs, or No one likes me, we’re actually showing ourselves that we do have value; we just don’t see it.
In order to truly love ourselves, it’s important that we embrace our uniqueness and work on creating an authentic identity for ourselves. It may seem odd at first because it involves doing something like identifying qualities and positive characteristics. Instead of saying something such as positive affirmations, but once you start doing it, you will realize how empowering such an exercise can be.
Practice Gratitude
Living in the present moment is key for cultivating a positive self-image. Take time every day to focus on what you have and be grateful for it, whether it’s your career, friends, or family. If you’re feeling down on yourself, stop thinking about all that you don’t have—which can only make you feel worse and think about what you do have instead. It’s amazing how much happier and more content we can feel when we start noticing all of our blessings.
Challenge Negative Thoughts
Negative thoughts can become self-fulfilling prophecies. If you are constantly thinking of all your perceived shortcomings, it’s easy to find yourself acting in ways that reinforce those views. When we think of ourselves in uncharitable ways, it’s hard not to act uncharitably.
One exercise for changing negative thought patterns is positive reframing. This means turning around your negative thoughts and looking at them from a different perspective; for example, if you think of yourself as unattractive, consider what makes someone attractive, maybe it’s their sense of humor or kindness.
Then try being more like that person and see how you feel about yourself as a result.
Spend Time With People Who Build You Up
We tend to hang out with people who share our interests and values. To build your self-esteem, it’s important to surround yourself with people who not only appreciate you for who you are but also help you appreciate yourself.
Don’t be afraid of rejection; instead, try joining groups or organizations that are of interest to you – even if they aren’t necessarily in line with your current career path. The more comfortable you become in situations where your true personality can shine through, the more likely it is that others will embrace and love that personality too.
Take Care of Your Body
If you want people to love you, take care of your body. If we don’t love our bodies, we won’t treat them right. And if we don’t treat them right, they won’t look or feel very good. In fact, if we despise our bodies and refuse to eat well or exercise for no good reason, then how can we possibly be positive about ourselves?
You simply cannot expect others to adore you if you don’t even like yourself. To fall in love with yourself (and stay in love), nurture and protect your body like it was someone else’s; because it is. Make sure your living a healthy lifestyle.
Avoid Comparison Shopping
When we look at other people, it’s hard not to compare ourselves and feel worse about how we look or how our lives are going. And we especially feel self-conscious around people who seem better than us in one way or another. But comparison shopping is destructive and counterproductive.
When you start comparing yourself to others, you put yourself down because your brain tends to focus on what’s missing or different. That makes sense when dealing with a serious deficiency—like water after days in a desert—but what can you do if you just aren’t happy with your weight?
Focus on something that feels good right now and ignore everything else for as long as possible.
Surround Yourself with the Things You Love
Your home and work environment play an important role in shaping your self-image. In fact, psychologists have shown that it’s possible to catch personality traits from others through social interaction—so don’t just stick with neutral, boring décor or things you merely like; surround yourself with what you love.
Don’t be afraid of bold color or quirky art either; studies show that taking pleasure in your surroundings will not only help you cultivate a positive self-image but also make your surroundings feel more comfortable and enjoyable.
Forgive Yourself for Mistakes
When you make mistakes, forgive yourself. Whether it’s forgiving yourself for screwing up at work or forgiving yourself for being an imperfect human being, self-forgiveness is good for your self-esteem and necessary in order to have a positive self-image.
Failing is part of life, we all make mistakes and if you can’t forgive yourself for those mistakes, you’ll find it hard to move forward and focus on building a better future.
When you are self-compassionate, for example when you treat yourself kindly even in times of adversity, you develop resilience and confidence because you understand that failure doesn’t mean total defeat.
Allow Mistakes To Teach Lessons
Sometimes, we just have one of those days. No matter how hard we try, nothing seems to go right. This is when it’s important to step back and let mistakes teach lessons. Whenever you experience a failure in life, ask yourself what you can learn from it.
If you’re having trouble seeing lessons in your missteps, keep asking what could I learn? until something clicks inside your mind and heart; then, put that lesson into practice so it never happens again.
Over time, what seemed like a mistake might turn out to be one of your greatest triumphs; sometimes it just takes patience and understanding for things to unfold properly.
Know Your Worth
To love yourself fully, you have to know your own value. It’s often easier said than done, but we all have things that make us special. Use them as your foundation when building your self-esteem and pursuing what you really want out of life.
Whether it’s supporting others, making art or developing software, knowing and using your talents will give you purpose and confidence. The more purpose you feel in what you do, and how you live your life on a daily basis, the easier it is to love yourself for who you are.
Positive Self Image Conclusion
When it comes to building confidence, you’ve got two options. You can work on molding your self-image by looking at yourself through rose-colored glasses, or you can work on improving your shortcomings. The first option is useful and well suited for people who are generally happy with themselves but want to bolster their ego.
The second option is great for people who know they need help in some areas and want to tackle those issues head on and quickly. Remember that both options are fine—and don’t feel like you have to choose one over another. Whatever helps you feel good about yourself is what should be pursued until it no longer works. And then move onto something else.
