ISSUES
: Body Confidence
Chapter 1: Body Image
12
would always recommend
getting a formal diagnosis and
support from your GP.
Ö
Remember that your mind is
an incredibly powerful tool.
What you think is what you will
become. Actually, studies show
that an affirming thought is 100
times more powerful than a
negative one.
Ö
The Law of Attraction is a
theory that suggests you attract
things into your life simply by
thinking about them. So if you
spend all your time worrying
about rejection, you’re actually
seeking it out and are more
likely to experience it.
Ö
Go against your instinct and put
yourself in social situations that
make you feel uncomfortable.
Acknowledging the fact that
your mind is trying to protect
you from rejection and going
against those instincts can be
incredibly powerful.
Ö
Limit the amount of times
you’re allowing yourself to look
in the mirror or to check your
reflection. It’s a lot easier if you
limit it gradually.
Ö
Be a rebel and stop editing your
photos beyond using filters.
However, it’s important that
you only do this when you feel
comfortable doing it. You may
not be ready to yet and that’s
OK, but keep it in mind.
Ö
Acknowledge that there are
things you dislike about yourself
but don’t focus on them any
more. Nobody can make you feel
bad about yourself, you do that.
Ö
Acknowledge that there are
things you like about yourself
and do focus on them. Even
if you don’t feel like there’s
anything, there is and as you
become more comfortable in
your own skin, this list will grow.
Ö
Understand that 98% of
images you see of celebrities
and models are edited and
are not-representative. If you
don’t believe us, YouTube
search “reverse Photoshop” or
“models unedited” – it’s okay
that they have blemishes and
stretch marks, because they
are human.
Ö
Whenever you feel like saying
something bad about how other
people look, say something
good about them too. Eventually
work to stop saying bad things
all together. Occasionally we
all think negative things about
others, that’s normal but it isn’t
OK to vocalise them to others
or use those opinions to make
somebody feel bad about
themselves to make yourself
feel better.
Ö
Stop hanging around with
people who make negative
comments about how you look
or make you feel pressured into
looking a certain way. It’s likely
that they are going through the
same thing too and trust us, you
need to focus on you right now.
Ö
Understand that in 30 years, we
guarantee you will look back
at photos of yourself now and
realise how fabulous you really
looked.
Ö
Diversify your friendship circle
and hang around with people
you wouldn’t otherwise hang
around with. This will make
you more familiar with different
realities of appearances, body
shapes and size.
Ö
Whenever you have a negative
thought
about
yourself,
acknowledge it and consciously
decide to think of something
positive. It sounds cliché but
most of the time, you have
100% control over what you
decide to think about – unless
you are currently suffering a
medical illness.
Ö
Be vocal and talk about it, but
not too much. Don’t overfocus
on the negatives and talk more
about how you’re making
changes and working on
yourself. It is important not to
keep it to yourself though. We’d
suggest just talking about it to
one or two people, no more,
otherwise you’ll find that you’re
talking about it too much.
Ö
Help somebody else overcome
bad feelings they have about
themselves and you could find
that it also helps you overcome
yours too.
Ö
The above information is
reprinted with kind permission
from Ditch The Label. Please
visit
for
further information.
© Ditch the Label 2016
