A stand against self-hate: #projectloveyourbody
/Selfies can be therapeutic. Especially when you are a recovering self-hating girl who’s trying to find the beauty within herself. That’s me, a girl who is trying to love herself, a girl who is trying to reclaim her self-esteem.
I have negative body issues that I battle with every day. I've often been told that what I see in a mirror doesn't match how others view me. It used to be the case that with every photograph taken of me, it could make or break my day. A bad photo would leave me feeling vulnerable and shy. Negative feelings would take over and I’d start to feel awful about myself. But a good photo would cheer me up. It felt as if finally my outside matched how I felt on the inside: beautiful.
“That’s me, a girl who is trying to love herself, a girl who is trying to reclaim her self-esteem.”
So naturally, taking photos of myself used to be scary. It was terrifying to not have control over my negative emotions. They used to run wild and dictate my mood for the rest of the day. But not anymore. Now I see a photo for what it really is. A moment captured. Sure, sometimes my hair is bad, or the angle is bad, but that’s not me. That double chin does not define me. That tummy roll doesn’t define me. That awkward pose that makes me look huge does not define me. Instead, I see me. I see my face and my body and I try not to nitpick at the photo. I take it for what it is: a photograph.
With my negative emotions in check, taking a self-portrait or seeing a photo of myself is no longer scary. In fact, it has become oddly therapeutic. It’s as if for the first time I’m seeing myself how others see: a happy girl who loves life.
Last week I decided to make use of the #projectloveyourbody hashtag. For this experiment I took 1 photo a day, first thing in the morning. I focused on my face, my legs, and my stomach. I used to hate each of these areas. But instead, I refocused my energy on finding why I appreciate these areas.
A photo will not bring me down, not anymore.
Here are some tips for improving your self-esteem through selfies.
1. Silence your inner-critic
Your inner-critic will be yelling at you with every photo you snap. You must find a way to silence that negativity. It starts with coming up with what I like to call a stop phrase. Use that stop phrase to silence your critic.
- "STOP! I want to be happy, I want to be happy, I want to be happy."
- "NO! I will NOT let you bring me down."
- "ENOUGH! I am worthy of self-love."
Then you can refocus your thoughts onto something else. Start thinking about your chores, or something you saw in the news. The key is to take your mind off what you're doing now. Then gently ease back into it. Take another photo and think a positive thought:
- Today I like my hair.
- My nose is perfect the way it is.
- My thighs are muscular.
2. Focus on areas that you dislike
Take photos of what you dislike. Think about which areas of your body get an unfair amount of negative attention from you. This project is about showing those areas love. Think about why you appreciate those areas. Write it down or say your positive affirmation out loud.
3. Forget what other people think
I posted my photos on Instagram as a way to share my journey. You don't have to do this. But if you choose to, make it a point not to look at how many likes you have. Do this for yourself. Working on your self-esteem is about finding the courage to love yourself regardless of what other people think.
My 7 days of #projectloveyourbody
