How To Take Control of Your Self-Image

Most people try to take control of their self-image by fitness and working out. Their agenda for exercise and nutritional habits are so they can look good but most of the time, it never really is to feel good about themselves. That’s all good. You should do what it takes to maintain your body and rock your fitness routine! After all, in the beginning it’s all about getting an excellent head-start.

Let’s take it further. Let’s take control of your self-image for a few other reasons besides measuring curves and love-handles in the mirror.

What’s messed up in society is the fact we try to impress other people all the time. The truth is that we never take the time to pat ourselves on the back for the things we do to make ourselves look fantastic or feel good. Our self-esteem matters. We need to learn to be comfortable in our own bodies and be happy with them no matter where we are on our journey towards feeling perfectly healthy and fit. We loose that comfortable feeling and confidence the more we rely on how other people think of our bodies.

Luckily there are some things you can do to feel more in control of your self-image.

For starters, ask yourself what your best attributes are? Journal what you love about yourself. Writing out how lovely, beautiful, or handsome you are helps you put the focus on your best attributes and as a result, you start to feel more positive about yourself. If you start hearing negative thoughts about yourself in your mind, do everything you can to counter them with the positive. Instead of writing “my arms are too bulky,” writing out that “I have arms that make me look strong or muscular” is a positive affirmation that you like your arms. It sounds cheesy but learning to love yourself is a major self-esteem booster.

While we may be preaching against worrying about what other people think, we still need to consider that people are attracted to others with a healthy self-image. Stand up straight, put your shoulders back, keep the tummy as far in as possible, and give a nice smile (don’t look like you’re trying to kill Batman). Giving a good stride that isn’t over the top while walking straight gives off the feeling of confidence, like you’re ready to face anything thrown at you. If you’re a single mom, walk as if you’ve just bought the most expensive purse and it looks good on you, even if you just bought one you like second-hand at a thrift store. Guys, if you work as a janitor in the evenings, wear a nice set of pants and a dressy wrinkle-free shirt outside of work and stride with your chest out and shoulders in like you’re Elon Musk and just invented time travel (bad analogy). The point is there’s a universal appeal in many cultures to look like you’re ready to yell “Bring it on!” No one will like someone slouches and walks like they feel sorry for themselves.

Another issue is that public opinion changes along with culture. We remember sitting in an art class and a student asked why the women were so fat and ugly during the Victorian age. The teacher had to explain to the student that plumpness was considered beautiful in those times. During the 1920s, women were pressured to be extremely thin. The 50s and 60s tried selling the idea that women needed hourglass figures and to eventually look like Marilyn Monroe. When boom bap hip-hop exploded in the 90s it was all about big butts (and we cannot lie). You have to ask yourself if you want your self-image to be controlled by culture or by your positive affirmations that you put in your journal that tell you how good you look.

When socializing, moving slowly and deliberately shows confidence and control. This includes talking slowly, trying not to stutter, and using a calm low tone of voice. Men, if you are single, women love this. Women, lowering your tone of voice isn’t a requirement but talking slowly with a bit of breath in the words will get the attention of a man you’ve got a thing for. Use with discretion and caution.

This next point may be a little sharp, but bear with me.

Relying on changing numbers on the weight scale everyday can be discouraging. Focus on how you feel when you start to notice progress after making changes to your diet, clothing, body language, and how your self-image changes have changed relationship dynamics with others. The weight scale and clothing sizes only give you measurement numbers. There are times when those numbers will bother you deeply. Some aspects of your self image change dynamically and nature may not conform to the results you’re looking for. Sometimes adapting to some natural changes can put you in a place where you can take the wheel again.

Don’t worry. This journey you’re on may take you to new places you love and you may have a new body that looks fantastic. If there’s other issues to deal with, take advise from experts. This post and others via Pinterest or other blogs can only help so much.

Try not to invest into things like abusive laxatives, liquid diets, fasting methods not recommended by a doctor, recipes that promise the draining of fats overnight, or other quick fixes to maintain your body too quickly before special events. These kinds of things will reflect how badly you want your self-image to be perfect while you’re at a wedding or company Christmas party. Take it slow and be realistic. It’s hard. It hurts.

Always keep moving. When you move quickly and breath deeply, you avoid depression (although moving and breathing deeply because of anxiety is a different story). Take a jog in a park or some place with nature. Getting the heart beating faster and blood circulating well gives you energy and as a result makes you feel so good about yourself.

Take care of yourself. Schedule massages, visit a physiotherapist to check yourself, and above all, do not avoid yearly checkups with your family doctor. Make time for hobbies. Meditate. Take breaks. Never overwork or over schedule.

There’s so many other tips we can get into but taking small steps leads to much much more if you start today…not tomorrow…today. Take control of your self-image realistically. How much time and energy do you want to spend on it? How much money are you willing to invest into your self-image (don’t overspend on it and get into debt)? Bodies with low body fat and toned muscles can take months and maybe even years to obtain if there are too many cheat days and the cravings sometimes hit hard. You might need to exercise many hours and commit to consuming certain foods daily. That’s why you need to take control of your self-image right now. Because the road is long, the path is rought, but the journey is worth it and awesome when progress becomes the focus, not the destination.