Body confidence is essential to your overall happiness and wellbeing. But we’re living in a society where we’re constantly faced with unrealistic and, often, unachievable ideals. With all things taken into account, it’s not all too surprising that a large number of us are suffering from low morale, and low confidence levels and are generally feeling brought down by our appearance, no matter how we may actually look. It’s more important now than ever to do what you can to build confidence in yourself, practice self-acceptance, and feel comfortable in your own body. Here’s some more information that will help you on this journey.
The Importance of Self-Confidence
Self-confidence is essential for your overall happiness. Confidence is when you believe in yourself. It’s when you are happy with yourself. It’s when you accept yourself for who you are and aren’t afraid to share that with the world. Of course, confidence impacts all areas of your life. Confident people tend to be happier, have better relationships, progress further in the workplace, and generally lead an overall better quality of life. Confidence in your appearance and how you carry yourself contributes significantly to this.
Ignoring the Media and Social Media
The first step towards building your confidence is to ignore what you see in the media and on social media. Today, we’re bombarded with endless images of other people looking their absolute best. On the television, in adverts, on Instagram-anywhere you look, chances are, images of supposed “perfection” are thrown in your face. But remember that half the time, the things you’re seeing aren’t 100% real. Anything used in advertisements and product photography tends to be highly edited. Most marketing agencies and modeling agencies will have full-time staff employed, or outsourced to agencies, who spend time editing images to “perfection”. Removing stretch marks, signs of pores, spots, flyaways, dullness, and anything else that shows a level of the general human condition. On Instagram, even the average person often edits their pictures, changing their body shape, removing cellulite, brightening their skin, thickening their hair, and so much more. Often, the people in these images don’t genuinely look that way. Instead of obsessing over online imagery and how everyone else supposedly looks, it’s time to focus on yourself and self-acceptance.
Make the Changes You Want to See
You can make changes to your appearance if you want to. It’s important that you make these changes for yourself and only for yourself. Consider the changes you want to see and healthy ways to get to your goals. If you want to tone up, you can hit the gym. If you want longer hair, you can invest in hair growth treatments, extensions, wigs, clip-on ponytails, and other hairpieces. If you want to reduce the size of your breasts, you can see great success stories in celebrity breast reductions and follow suit. If you want to enhance your breasts, you can look around for qualified, experienced, and responsible surgeons who can help you with this journey. Want whiter teeth? Most dentists now offer teeth whitening or even veneers. Whatever you’re interested in altering, there are going to be means of achieving this. Just make sure to make changes in a gradual, responsible, and healthy way.
Build Emotional Confidence
Some people are naturally confident, caring little about what others think, and able to get on with their lives without worrying about others’ opinions and words. But some of us aren’t naturally inclined in this way. The good news is that this is a skill you can work on. You don’t have to dive into the deep end or become an extrovert for the rest of your life. But you can take small steps that will build your confidence and help you live more comfortably and freely. Do things that might originally have scared you. Wear that dress you’ve been putting aside for months. Wear a bikini to the beach rather than a one-piece. Upload a picture to your social media without spending hours editing it. Sure, these steps might feel daunting or uncomfortable at first. But you’ll soon settle in and realize that everything is absolutely fine. Baby steps are fine, and you can take as long as you need. The important thing is that you make gradual progress as time goes on.
Hopefully, some of the suggestions above should help you to build your confidence and feel a lot more comfortable in your own body. It’s time to appreciate yourself and be proud of yourself!
