How to Be Comfortable In Your Own Skin
Most of us have done it, looking into the mirror and groaning. Nobody is ever completely satisfied about body image. Too much here, not enough there – everyone has some kind of hangup.
But Huffington Post zeroes in on what can happen when you say enough already and start accepting who you are so you can get on with life.
That doesn’t mean you won’t start a new exercise routine, diet or skin treatment. It just means life is so much better when the whole matter ceases to be earth shaking.
I have a friend who gained about ten pounds and refused to let anyone take her picture. Finally her boyfriend took one when she wasn’t looking and she was startled to see it was not so bad after all . He teased her into relaxing over the whole matter. She loosened up, started eating better, and dropped the weight that had made her so miserable.
I have another friend who packed on a quick 20 pounds when she lost a job and struggled to find the next one. She was stressed out and feeding her emotions. She started a new yoga class, and joined a meditation group. Gradually she let go of some of the stress, found another job, and dropped the extra weight. Life was good again. Figuring out that you have the power to change whatever is bugging you can make you feel better about yourself and not so helpless about body image, diet and weight.
Once you start relaxing into your own skin, you may find you have a lot more energy and walking, running or cycling become fun again, not just one more mandatory weight loss prescription.
Food can look different too. Now shopping for the freshest produce and the leanest meats, or finding a new recipe online can be the beginning of a meal that you can’t wait to share with friends. The late night fast food runs or the furtive bag of cookies in your desk drawer no longer happen as much, or at all.
If you dig deep and let yourself be totally honest and accepting your perspective can change.
When you really are comfortable in your skin, you may wake up grinning, start giggling again, and wonder why you were so upset anyway. Life definitely looks different.
Wherever you are with body images, eating, weight and up or down moods, know that it is all changeable. Taking charge of your life and enjoying what you have won’t seem hard at all. In fact most of it turns out to be fun.