Signs You Have a ‘Toxic Relationship’ with Your Body
Are you and your body deeply in love with one another? Or, worryingly, could you be locked in a toxic relationship? When you fail to give your body the respect it deserves, the latter could be true.
Here are some of the signs that you’re not loving your body the way that you really should.
1. You wear clothes to hide your shape
Baggy sweaters. Oversized dresses. Woolen layers. These are your go-to wardrobe faves. Why? Well, it’s not only because you want to keep warm this season. It’s because you want to hide your body away under as much material as possible. Take a moment to think about that. Is it healthy to be ashamed of who you are?
When it comes to choosing your staple clothing pieces, you need to do yourself a favor and choose flattering items. That’s not to say that you should cover up the parts of your body you don’t like. Instead, you should use clothes to accentuate the parts that you do like. In the end, your comfort and confidence should come first.
2. You’re obsessed with size zero
You flick through beauty magazines, staring idly at the ultra-slim models that adorn each page. So, this is society’s standard of beauty, right? Wrong. This is the fashion industry’s standard of beauty and, frankly, it’s seriously skewed at the best of times. Obsessing over being a size zero is never going to make you happy.
If you’re constantly chasing a smaller dress size, that’s an unhealthy sign. It means that you’re not truly happy with your current shape. Instead, focusing on being more positive about your body is the way forward.
3. You avoid looking in full-length mirrors
Before you leave the house, what’s the last thing you do? Many of us take one last look in a full-length mirror to check that our outfit works. If the idea of that is enough to make you flinch, there’s certainly a problem there. Shying away from your shape and size could mean that you’re somehow ashamed of it. You shouldn’t be.
Loving yourself is all about accepting who you are and knowing that you are the very best version of yourself that you can be. Try this handy exercise. Stand in some gorgeous lingerie and look in the mirror. Don’t look away. Don’t flinch. Just stand and look at all the beauty you behold. You are wonderful just as you are. This exercise will help you to understand your shape and adore it too.
4. You’re obsessed with weighing yourself
Your weight is just a number. Say it. Repeat it. Learn it. There is so much more to who you are as a person than what that little dial says. Hence, you absolutely need to make sure that you don’t let it turn into an obsession. Monitoring your weight for health reasons may be fine. However, if you’re on a mission to decrease those numbers ASAP, you could be doing yourself way more harm than good.
5. You focus on what you ‘hate’ about it
Are you guilty of saying that you ‘hate’ certain parts of your body? If so, it’s time for a real change. The more you tell yourself that there’s something wrong with your shape or size, the more you will be unhappy. That’s a one way ticket to misery right there.
Fixating on the areas that make you cringe will only mean that you feel a sense of shame about your body. Why not flip the tables here? Instead, look at your body and list all the things that you love about it. What is it that makes you truly smile when you look in the mirror? The answer may surprise you. Often enough, it’s not our physical appearance that needs to change, but our mindset.
6. You compare yourself to others
The world’s population is made up of a ton of different women. We come in all shapes and sizes. It’s only natural. Hence, comparing yourself to other women is a recipe for disaster. If you see other women as competition, you’re always going to be trying to outdo them in some way. That says more about how you feel about yourself than it does anything else.
Rather than wasting your time wishing that you looked like someone else, take the time to appreciate how you are. No one is going to give you that validation except yourself. Forget how other women look and focus on what matters here — you.
Conclusion
Treating your body with adoration and respect is a true act of self-love. You deserve that. It’s not about fighting yourself or being critical of your shape. It’s not about comparing yourself to others or wishing you were someone you’re not. It’s about accepting your body as it is and understanding that its true beauty is in its individuality. Once you start practicing this art, your relationship with your body will turn from toxic to powerful.
