HOW TO LOVE THE SKIN YOU'RE IN
YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE SKIN YOU'RE IN SO YOU MAY AS WELL GET COMFORTABLE GIRLFRIEND!
Regardless of your size, shape or colour you are beautiful according to the One who made you!
Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of health & fitness, and totally believe in treating your body like a temple, but there are some things a diet can't change like height, frame, facial structure etc and often times weight can fluctuate & vary from season to season, but your value does not!
So yes go to the gym, run on the beach, watch what you eat. But real confidence flows from the inside out, not the other way around. You can have the "perfect" body but still feel worthless.
Today we are exposed to media more than ever, and more than ever media is sending us the message that we aren’t okay the way we are. Even if we know the images we are seeing are photoshopped, carefully crafted by stylists, make-up artists and lighting specialists, we still buy into to the idea that tanned & toned babes with cute lips and stick thin pins are what we need to aspire to. Comparison truly is the thief of joy.
But it’s not just in the tabloids! Research has shown that just 10 minutes browsing our Facebook or Insta feeds causes us to be grumpier and more negative than our friends who don’t. Why is this?
BECAUSE WE NATURALLY COMPARE OURSELVES TO THE MOST CONSISTENT IMAGES WE SEE
Even if that image consistently represents an unobtainable ideal, we will measure ourselves against it. Ridiculous right? Why would we compare ourselves to something we know isn’t real?
Well, it’s a part of being human that has only really become a problem in the last decade. Before social media, we didn’t just see the ‘best angle’, and we didn’t have inside access to the lives of supermodels and celebrities right in our pockets. Instead we spent more time with people who look like us and therefore we spent less time comparing.
So why is loving ourselves so important?
Loving ourselves isn't just important so we feel good or satisfy that little feminist inside screaming “Don’t be objectified!”, but to avoid the devastating effects that occur when we don’t. Research has found that poor self-esteem and body-dissatisfaction is predictive of various negative mental and physical health outcomes such as; depression, substance misuse, disordered eating and a lack of exercise.
SO HOW DO YOU LOVE THE BODY YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN?
Let me give you some practical hints:
1. REALIZE YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE
You need to realise you're not alone! You're not the only woman who struggles with body hate. Even supermodels pick at their "flaws". In 2001, 77,000 women and men were asked if they liked what they saw in the mirror and the overwhelming truth was that only 16.3% of women and 27.1 % of men said yes. (Diedrichs, 2013) It may be normal, but it's not healthy. Let's change that statistic, together.
2. REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE
Whenever you feel unloved, unimportant or insecure, remember who you belong to! You are a daughter of the King, you are young royalty my friend. (Ephesians 2:19)
3. DON'T ARGUE WITH GOD
Would you question God? Would you say to Him, you've done a bad job? When He clearly says I'm so proud of my girl. (Romans 9:20) Should the thing that was created say to its Creator, “Why have you formed me like this?”
4. FLOCK WISELY
You know the saying, "Birds of a feather flock together." Well, be mindful of those you surround yourself with. Negativity loves company. Avoid those gossip girls that spend all day complaining. Find friends that are confident in Christ and have learnt to embrace their bodies - flaws & all.
5. SPEAK OUT THE TRUTH
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT... OR YOU ARE WHAT YOU SPEAK?
Every morning when you wake up, look in the mirror and say,
“I am fearfully and wonderfully made,
I am beautiful the way that I am,
I am happy with myself and I love my body”.
If those words make you cringe, then you need to say them again! Say them until you believe it, sweet friend.
Say them whenever you think you’re having an ‘ugly’ day, whenever you are doubting yourself, comparing yourself, or making negative comments about yourself! Words are so powerful, they are capable of changing even our innermost beliefs about ourselves.
“Accept yourself as you are. And that is the most difficult thing in the world, because it goes against your training, education, your culture. From the very beginning you have been told how you should be; Nobody has ever told you that are good as you are.” - Osho
God is clear to us in His word that He made us just the way we are for a purpose, it was no accident! You were carefully and thoughtfully designed from the tips of your toes to the very last hair on your head. I believe that a part of worshipping God is loving His creation. Just as we stand in awe of the ocean, the mountains and the deserts, we need to begin to stand in awe of our own bodies, their capacity, their strength, their beauty and their complex design.
Guest post: Nicole Penman
