BODYLOOK

BODY IMAGE: CHANGE HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF

Do you have a healthy body image? If so, you are one of the few people who do not struggle with feeling comfortable in your own skin. Most people have hang-ups about the way they look. They imagine if they were “beautiful,” none of their problems would exist. Sadly, they do not recognize the true beauty they already have.

Body dysmorphic disorder is an extreme version of self-loathing where people are unable to see themselves accurately and think about their real or perceived flaws for hours each day. They might look in the mirror and see the reflection of someone who is too fat, too thin, ugly, or hideous when the truth is they are attractive.

If you do not have a healthy body image, chances are you have similar thoughts to people who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder, but in a watered-down form. You might feel you are unattractive even though other people do not see you this way. Perhaps you are preoccupied with a particular feature you dislike, and when you glance in the mirror, this part of you is what you focus on rather than seeing yourself as a whole. In addition, you might imagine other people see what you see when they look at you. And as a result, you feel that they judge you harshly.

In reality, chances are other people look at you in a different way than you look at yourself. They do not concentrate on examining one particular feature, as they see you as a complete person from your head down to your feet. It is most likely that they have a balanced view of you. If only you could begin to view yourself in this way and with kinder eyes, you could have a better body image.

How To See Through Gentle Eyes

To see yourself in a kinder, gentler manner, you need to be able to look through someone else’s eyes. Of course, this sounds impossible. However, you can use the power of your imagination to view yourself as though you were another person.

You have probably never contemplated looking at yourself as though you were someone else. In fact, the only glimpse of yourself via anything other than your own eyes is likely to have been a photograph. Unfortunately, unless you are photogenic and the person taking photographs of you is a good photographer, it is possible that photographic images of you do not do you justice. Even the most beautiful models in the world can look dreadful if the camera lens has not been kind.

Imagery Exercise To Help You Step Out Of Yourself

Sit comfortably and breathe long, slow breaths that reach deep down in your stomach. Feel the gentle rise and dip of your belly as you breathe in and out, and become more and more relaxed and calm.

Concentrate on your breathing until any noises going on around you cease to bother you and your body feels heavy and sleepy. However, do not drift into sleep mode entirely. Instead, begin to visualize someone you consider kind and caring walking down a street you know well. It should be a street you often walk yourself.

Imagine how he or she might be feeling. Then, begin to breathe at the rate you imagine that he or she is breathing. Let your breaths become mingled with theirs until you feel as though you inhabit their body. Glance through their eyes across the street, path, or lane and see someone coming toward you. Recognize that the person you see is you and feel glad to see yourself.

Look at yourself through the gentle eyes of the body you inhabit. See yourself from all angles from your head down to your feet, and notice that you are, in fact, much more attractive than you thought was possible.

After a while, imagine breathing your own breaths from inside your own body that is in front of you. Look over to the person who has gentle eyes and thank them for helping you see yourself more clearly.

Slowly return to the place where you are engaged in this visualization and begin to feel the ground or seat beneath you. Gradually open your eyes and stretch as you come back to reality with a new vision of how you really look.

Your physical appearance has been hard for you to see up until this point, as you have concentrated on seeing parts of you rather than all of you. Additionally, you might have relied on photographs that were poor representations of you to help you gain insight into your appearance. Once you have seen yourself through the eyes of someone who is kinder to you than you are to yourself, it is likely that you will have a more accurate picture of the true you.