Ever look in the mirror and all you see is the imperfections? You are focused solely on the bulge at your waist, the stretch marks on your butt, the hairline that seems so far your forehead has a forehead, the blemishes on your skin… For some, it goes beyond looking in the mirror, as you wish you could do public speaking without stuttering, you wish that you were able to afford the gorgeous clothing you see on social media, you wish you could teach yourself how to not care what people think of you… YOU WISH.
The reality is that we have heard all too often that we are enough, we are unique and who we are beautiful. We have read articles talking about self-love and have sometimes gone as far as trying to practice the things we read. Yet the reality is simply different from all that we hope to apply. The reality is that regardless of how many times we promise ourselves that this time I will ferociously love on myself, the application is a whole lot harder. Particularly in the era of social media and external looks obsession.
The journey of self-love is most difficult, but it is not impossible. In the same way you can obsess about your imperfections, you can program your mind to obsess on your perfections.
Let me tell you something, you have one life, one body, one mind and one chance to love yourself. You can change the things you do not like about yourself, you can work on having a healthier lifestyle, mindset and spirit. These things can be changed however, you cannot leave your body and get another, so you may as well do yourself a favour and love the one you are in. The beauty in discovering your self-love is that you develop a healthier mind, and as a result, you live a healthier lifestyle. The journey to self-discovery can be a scary one because you come head-on with every part of yourself. You have to be blatantly honest with yourself about who you are. There will be areas you hate to look at, and it will SUCK!!
However, once you get past the not-so-fun stuff, you can finally start defining yourself by your standards and it can be a magical journey.
Disclaimer: I would like to put a disclaimer on this column, I too am living the things I write about. I have my own set of insecurities, in the same light I know the power of going on a self-love journey. I can only share my experiences in the hope that they help someone else. You are welcome to journey with me on this self-love journey. I encourage it if anything. Even if it has been something you have been doing for some time because there is always something new to learn about yourself.
Tip: Start with cleaning out the closet of your mind. I want you to go back to the place where your self-doubt stems from. Not the things that today make you insecure, but go back in time to the events of your life that may have shifted your self-perception. Write down all the things that may have caused you to become insecure. Then write down counter events that have taught you to go against those said insecurities. The idea is to be able to counter the negative thoughts you may have about yourself, with positive thoughts. This becomes your journey to uproot the bad seeds you have planted. It starts with cleaning out the closet of your mind.* By Mavis Braga Elias – Civil Engineer, speaker, philanthropist @mavisbraga