Five powerful benefits of accepting your body and your differences

Book Reviews

Aug 1

Do you ever wish you could change the shape of your nose, get a slimmer body, or change how your teeth look when you smile? If yes, you're not alone. There are so many people who feel unhappy with some part of their bodies. Plus, it is a challenge to feel good about your body in an age where you are constantly bombarded with thin bodies and photoshopped images of celebrities.

But you know what? You don't need a flawless body to have a positive body image. When you accept your body as it is, your body image is boosted. There are some other important benefits of accepting your body. Read on to know what those are:

1. You lead a satisfying life

Life satisfaction comes when you are truly happy about yourself and your body. It is also about developing a positive attitude and appreciating whatever good things you have in your life. It's easy for anyone to get trapped in negativity and constantly dwell on things beyond their control. Rather than trying to look like media personalities, people who are happy with their bodies invest their time and energy in developing a healthy lifestyle.

2. You build healthy self-esteem

Self-esteem and self-love are intertwined – both are essentially important for our mental health. How you perceive and value yourself is an important factor that determines your level of self-confidence and self-esteem. It is now scientifically proven that people who don't body-shame themselves are more likely to have higher self-esteem. Studies also show that people get attracted to individuals who appreciate their bodies and have a higher sense of self-worth. These people look reliable and trustworthy.

3. You can be yourself

Sometimes one of the biggest blessings in life is to be able to accept yourself and all your personality traits, both good and bad, as they are. In an era of social media where everyone tries to be someone else, accepting your physical and mental attributes is a great achievement. When you get to a point where you start liking your body and focus on what it can do for you, you automatically stop caring about what society thinks or says about you. You start realizing the importance of being true to yourself and not becoming a people-pleaser.

4. You practice gratitude

People who often get into the habit of comparing their bodies with celebrities who have plastic faces and curved booties feel angry. It is because they feel their bodies cannot get the same attention as theirs and blame it for their unhappiness. On the flip side, people who love their flawed bodies that don't match society's norms practice body gratitude. Evidence suggests that practising gratitude promotes a better mood and protects against negative emotions such as envy, depression, and anxiety. It also boosts happiness and self-esteem and helps people build healthy relationships.

5. You learn more about yourself

Since childhood, we are taught to be one way or another. Not following the lifestyle of famous TV stars or highly successful people and being your spontaneous self is the only way you can learn how to be yourself. Truly accepting your body also means you appreciate the little weirdness and uniqueness in yourself.

Author bio

Cher Major, also known as Nadia Cher, is a gifted poet, a feminist author, and the creator of My Big-God's Masterpiece, which is an unfiltered memoir. As a survivor of childhood bullying, Nadia wants to persuade women and young girls to celebrate their bodies regardless of their shape, size, and skin colour. In her Amazon best-selling book, she shares her personal struggle with body confidence and embarks on her own journey of body positivity.

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