Toxic Body Image: 7 Non-Toxic Ways To Stop Hating Your Body and Start Loving Yourself Again

Does this skirt make me look fat?

I’m a pizza face.

Why did I do that? I’m so stupid.

Yeah. I’ve said those things about myself too. And it’s not pretty. Why do we feel compelled to say such nasty things about ourselves? It only reinforces our toxic body image. If someone else were saying those things to himself or herself, what would we say? That’s right. We’d say, “Cut it out!”

So why do we still insist on saying these toxic things to ourselves? I’m not a psychologist, but I feel like this self-deprecation is a habit. A habit we’ve learned based on how the toxic people in our lives treat us. And I call it a habit because, even long after we kick the toxic people to the curb, we’re still saying hurtful and demeaning things to ourselves that only continue to reinforce our toxic body image.

How do we fix this self-deprecation habit that is slowly – and not so silently – stealing our energy, confidence, and self-esteem?

We have to practice looking in the mirror and, instead of focusing on the bad, see all the good things we have to offer. The bad news is that this isn’t something that happens overnight. You wouldn’t ask someone to lose 25 pounds in a day or a week, right? Well, becoming a recovering self-deprecator is just as challenging.

The good news is that you can do it – if you know how to change the lens on how you look at your life, your body, and your soul.

I’m actually in the process of doing it now. Come along and I’ll show you what has worked for me so far…

 

#1 – Celebrate Small Wins

Do you want to lose weight and get in shape? Yeah. Me too. My advice: Don’t try to lose it all at once by starving yourself or by exercising until you drop. Start small by cutting sugary drinks from your diet or by walking around the block to get some exercise.

Once you’ve mastered those, give yourself a pat on the back and be proud of what you’ve accomplished. Make sure to celebrate these types of small wins that’ll eventually get you to the finish line.

At that point take the next step and treat yourself to new exercise clothes, seek out the help of a qualified personal trainer, or make an appointment with a nutritionist to review your eating habits.

Keep moving forward.

 

#2 – Accept & Embrace What You Can’t Change

If you don’t like your hair color you can dye it, but what about those things that are impossible or nearly impossible to change?

Your only option is to start loving those things that make you unique and special. Have oily skin? That’s perfect because the extra oil in your skin will keep you looking younger longer. Too short? Good! You don’t have to lean over the sink and hurt your back to wash your hands.

There’s a positive hidden in every “negative.”

 

#3 – Cut The Toxic People From Your Life

Are the toxic people in your life making your miserable? Speak up and tell them how they make you feel. If they don’t listen, start the process of removing them from your life now.

And I don’t just mean the people close to you. If you follow a celebrity who is making you feel bad for something, I say kick them to the curb too. You may also want to stop reading those style magazines. Those models and their perfect bodies and faces make me a little self-conscious too.

 

#4 – Surround Yourself With People Who Lift You Up

Do you have at least one person around you who always has something nice to say? Or, when you’re feeling blue, always finds a way to cheer you up, at least temporarily.

Find and hang out with more of those people. Just like misery loves company. Excitement, energy, and happiness are contagious.

 

#5 – Treat Yourself Well

Life is difficult. Don’t make it harder on yourself for no reason.

Treat yourself to a massage. Go shopping for something you’ve wanted, but haven’t splurged on yet. Make love to the significant other in your life. No significant other? That doesn’t matter. You can still have sex with the most awesome person in the world – yourself!

Don’t feel guilty when you feel good. Enjoy it!

 

#6 – It’s Not The End Of The World To Fail

Sink or swim? While we’d all rather swim than sink, sometimes you can’t help it – especially if you’re doing something for the very first time.

Mistakes are great because we learn a lot from them. And remember that you’re not a failure just because something didn’t work out as you had originally planned. If it’s something you want to do, go out there and try again. Don’t give up just because something didn’t work out the first time.

 

#7 – Learn To Forgive Others And Yourself

You’re not perfect. Neither am I. How do we make it through the day? We practice patience and understanding – not just for other people, but for ourselves too.

We have a tendency to forgive other people more readily for bigger things than we forgive ourselves for even the tiniest of things, like cheating on a diet. Why is that? Why can’t we forgive ourselves as easily as we forgive others? I guess we’re just harder on ourselves because we have to live with the disappointment constantly, but I don’t think that’s fair.

Stop the toxic body image self-deprecation people! Feel the emotions, learn from your mistakes, make amends (if possible), forgive yourself, and move on. There’s absolutely nothing to gain from constantly punishing yourself.

 

Whew! I know those are a lot of things to do, right? I hear you and that’s why you should pick one of them to practice. Once you’ve gotten one down, pick another one.

The gist of everything in this article is that you have to be nice to yourself. That may feel weird at first or seem a bit selfish, but how much time to do you really spend making yourself feel special? And honestly, the only way you’re ever going to really make anyone else feel good about themselves is to truly feel good about yourself too.

Come on. If you’re reading this article, I know you’re a smart cookie. You’re a beautiful person with a lot to offer. You have one life to live so make it a great one.

Need more inspiration? Check out the other articles on my blog.

If you need some support, you got it! We’re here for you. You’re always welcome to join our Freedom from Toxic People Facebook Group.

Need guidance? Gotta toxic person in your life you can’t shake? I totally understand. Check out my books on Amazon. They’re inexpensive and will help you deal with difficult people at home and at work.