Boosting Your Self Esteem Without Losing Weight
[originally published August 22 2019]
The key reason I blog and create content online is to inspire others. I firmly believe that every body is beautiful and everybody is worth more than what they look like. I am both body-positive and body-inclusive - I support the normalization of socially unaccepted body types while also understanding that our worth is not dependent on our bodies' abilities or appearances. You do not need to change your body to find worth in yourself.
Many people salute those who 'fearlessly' wear a bathing suit without being 'socially beautiful.' Why, though, must we salute those who are fat, disproportioned, or attain varied ability levels? They are not confident nor do they appreciate being applauded for 'defying the odds' or being 'brave.' These people are kind enough and smart enough to know that you shouldn't need to feel confident to wear a swimsuit. They know that it's not confidence that drives their actions. They have simply mastered the art of not caring what others think. Because the truth is that strangers don't know who we are on the inside (what actually matters).
Implying that these people are confident, brave, or fearless indicates that they are believed to be comfortable with their physical appearance. They're not, they just know that their worth is not related to their physical appearance. They are comfortable with themselves regardless of their body types so they can easily wear a swimsuit without worrying about what others think.
There are two ways I recommend that you consider that'll help boost your self-esteem. One is to accept yourself on the inside first. Know that you are worthy and amazing no matter what you look like. You could be tall, short, thin, fat, thick, or have other unique and cool characteristics. The most important thing is to know that NONE OF THAT MATTERS. Happiness does not start when we love our bodies, it starts when we love ourselves - our true, deep, real selves.
There's another way to start your self-love journey. I understand that not everyone can immediately jump into the process of disassociating their worth from their physical appearance. It's an especially difficult feat in our looks-obsessed society today. I first started on my own self-love journey by convincing myself that I was beautiful on the outside. It took time - I had to stop myself from remembering years of body hate from both myself and others. I had to stop blaming myself for being fat because being fat wasn't a crime. There's nothing wrong with being fat and I had to teach myself that repetitively. It's okay to be fat. It's okay to not operate the same way as others (both physically and mentally). In a more general sense, it's okay to not have perfect health because no one should judge you on that regardless.
No matter what, you have to inevitably realize that your physical appearance has nothing to do with your worth. Until you accept that completely, you'll be reliant on physical beauty to give you your self-esteem. You'll be tempted to change and mold your body into new shapes, colors, and trends. Don't let yourself fall into more self-hatred. YOUR BODY IS NOT YOU. And, you are beautiful on the inside if you want to be. xx
