Mental Awareness Month – Body Image
Last week I found out the month of May is mental awareness month and this week (Monday 13th) in particular has been dedicated to body image – how we think and feel about our bodies.
Last year we found that 30% of all adults have felt so stressed by body image and appearance that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. That’s almost 1 in every 3 people.
I recently found and listened to an older podcast by @skinwithleah. She spoke about why it’s so easy to look at others and see their beauty but why we too often can’t see that in ourselves. This podcast really resonated with me and so after listening I felt compelled to write my next blog on the topic. I want to share some of her thoughts and hope they help bring you some piece of mind if you find yourself struggling with what you see in the mirror.
What you see…
You look in the mirror and you only see the ‘bad’. The things you don’t like about yourself. It might be your stomach, your thighs, your hair or your skin. It could something so small, a tiny scar on your face or a stretch mark down your side. That’s all you see. You don’t see the other things…
You don’t see your face when you smile or when you cry with laughter.
You don’t see yourself speaking passionately about what you love.
You don’t see your reaction when you get amazing news.
You don’t see your face when you look at the person you love.
You don’t see what you look like when you’re in your own world, so completely lost in thought.
You see all of these moments on other people’s faces but never on your own. Aren’t those small moments what make someone beautiful to you?
How easy it is to brush off compliments. To laugh when someone tells you you’re beautiful. To roll your eyes when some says they wish they had a figure like yours. How can you believe that?
Believe it!
They’ve seen the small, special moments on your face, the moments that make you beautiful to them. They aren’t talking about the person who stares at their flaws in the mirror in the morning, frowning and mocking themselves. They’re talking about the real you, the one you don’t get to see laugh, cry and everything in between.
Everyone deserves to feel happy in their own skin. No body is perfect, no body is the same. Celebrate the differences, they make you unique. Everyone struggles from time to time so next time you find yourself critiquing your body remember you don’t see everything. There is more to you than what a reflection in the mirror shows.
What would you tell your sister or brother, your son or daughter, your best friend or boyfriend? Show yourself that same love and understanding you show the people you care for.
#BeBodyKind
