Self-Criticism as Your Worst Enemy
How many times throughout your day have you stared in the mirror and said, “I hate my skin”, “I feel so fat”, or “this cellulite is so ugly”. These types of comments inherently stem from your internal dialogue (i.e., self-talk), which can manifest within self-criticism. Typically, you experience this as negative internal thought of one’s self, behaviours or attributes. It is very easy for these thoughts to span outside of a particular thought that can negatively impact your overall well-being. This is why being able to love and accept your physical imperfections is so important.
It is tiring to be in a constant negative mindset about your appearance and I know that I am the worst when it comes to judging myself in the way I look. I had very bad acne as a teenager and it continued into my early adulthood. It wasn’t until I started on birth control that my acne began to tame itself. However, by this point, I already had horrible acne scars from popping, picking and poking at my face. This was something I absolutely hated about myself for a long time. I would try every type of make-up product to cover it up and probably spent a ridiculous amount of money on these items. I cringe thinking about my poor bank account.
It was only a few years ago where something just clicked. I realized that I did not care about what others thought and my self-criticism regarding my physical appearance slowly began to diminish. I began to not be embarrassed by my bare skin in public and actually felt liberated running errands without make-up on. At this point of my life, it did not serve me to focus on my physical imperfections anymore. I learned that the faster you’re able to love your body and skin, the brighter you shine overall. This radiance is something I gravitate towards daily, and it’s crazy how much you realize the insignificance of a pimple, a new stretch mark or some extra weight.
Let go of criticizing yourself, and embrace the imperfections you may carry. You’ll start to see how your overall well-being shifts to feeling happier and healthier in this mindset. Self-criticism is okay in moderation depending on context, but when framing it in this topic, I think it makes a lot of sense to lighten up on yourself to accept your body and skin for all that it is.
Stop Comparing and Idealizing Others
I find myself doing this often enough that I have to actively tell myself to quit it. A lot of our family, friends and peers use social media and while I believe social media is a great creative outlet and information sharing resource – it also comes with it’s own flaws. By flaws, I mean the unrealistic, edited portrayal of women’s bodies. A lot of the time you’re left wondering, “why doesn’t my body look like that?”, or “how come I don’t have flawless skin like hers?”. This is because these images are edited to reflect perfection in society’s eyes. They are altered to showcase people in their best light. This, of course, is not to say people who edit their photos are in the wrong. I love posting things to my social in my most natural state (no make-up, messy hair, comfy clothes) to my most done up self (full face of make-up, dressed up, and glamorous). Both of these examples are still me in its entirety.
This is just a kind reminder to not compare yourselves or your progress to others found on the internet. At the end of the day, remember that those people are only showing what they want the world to see. Instead, choose to be happy with yourself regardless of who’s on your social media feed. Don’t let your insecurities fester. You are beautiful as you are.
The reason why we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind the scenes to someone else’s highlight reel.
Steven Furtick
Accepting Yourself as a Whole
One of the most important things I’ve learned in my life to date is to accept yourself for who you are. This sounds super cliché, but I promise you that it makes living your life a whole lot easier. Once you start accepting yourself for you, including all your flaws and imperfections, there’s a weight lifted off your shoulders. This includes things such as self-deprecating thoughts, negative self-talk, and overall unhappiness. You come as a whole package and this includes those stretch marks, cellulite, acne scars and any other piece of you that is unique. Those things tell a story and they make you stand out from others in the best way possible. As much as it’s hard to accept those imperfections as beautiful, the sooner you’re able to do it, the sooner you’ll feel at peace with yourself.
With love & gratitude,
Check out my *FREE* Self-Care Checklist on my Shop page for a list of activities to try and incorporate into your life on a daily basis.
