Many of us have a negative relationship with our body and how we view the way that we look. Body acceptance can mean how we as individuals challenge society on how it thinks of body image. Body acceptance and positivity can refer to people that are deserving of positivity towards body image no matter what others think. Feeling negative about our bodies can get worse over time if not addressed. It is important to address the unrealistic standards that we have for our bodies.
Body acceptance is different than positivity, as it means that we can recognize our flaws but have a neutral acceptance for what our bodies do for us and be okay with our bodyโs uniqueness. Even with seeing the body positivity movement, there are still unrealistic expectations to this. Body acceptance allows us to be okay with our uniqueness without having to love our bodies all of the time. Negative body acceptance can lead to behavioral and emotional symptoms.
Acceptance means that although we may not love our body, we accept its imperfections. We will always compare ourselves to others, this is natural. Body acceptance allows us to love our body for what it is without guilt and without being unrealistic. There are many affects to having low or negative body acceptance. These affects can lead to greater health conditions if left untreated.
Problems that can occur without having body acceptance
- Low self-worth
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Eating disorders
- Self-harm
- Unrealistic expectations
- Negative relationship with our body
Ways to be more accepting of your body
- Be honest with yourself and accept the good and the bad, be realistic with your body
- Uncover your own bias and negative thoughts towards your body
- Focus on what your body can do for you
- Start with body neutrality when we do not feel good nor bad about our bodies
- Follow others who activate body positivity
- Focus on the present and know what you need emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually
- Trust your body and listen to its intuition, this can help with having better eating patterns
- Recognize what you do love about yourself and your uniqueness
- Work with and not against your body, this can be with food and/or exercise
- Give yourself time to gain acceptance, be kind and try not to be hard on yourself through the process
- Seek professional help from a certified therapist, counselor, or social worker
- Try using cognitive behavioral therapy, brainspotting therapy, acceptance commitment therapy, or other therapies that can help with body acceptance
Having acceptance can help us to look beyond our appearance at the person we truly are. Do you struggle to accept your body and all that it has gone through? If we do not strive for acceptance, then we can end up doing more damage to our bodies over time. If your negative body acceptance has led to depression, anxiety, eating disorder, etc., speak to a doctor or trained professional for help. Acceptance can help empower us to love our own uniqueness instead of focusing so hard on others or that we expect ourselves to be perfect.
These negative thoughts and patterns can take time to heal from. Cognitive behavioral therapy, brainspotting, and acceptance commitment therapy are a few examples of the types of therapy that can help overcome these behaviors and negative thought patterns that we have about our body. If you have a hard time reaching out to others for help, start by joining a support group to have support from others who face similar experiences. There are many resources out there that can help you gain body acceptance, to live a happier and more fulfilling life.
