Would you look at your best friend and tell her that she’s not good enough? Not pretty enough? Not thin enough? Would you tell your mom or sister or cousin that she’s terrible for veering off of her “diet” and that she should beat herself up over it and get lost in the guilt? No? Then why do you do it to yourself?
We tend to be harder on ourselves than other people. We give others compassion and understanding, but yet we berate ourselves and talk down to ourselves for every “mistake” that we make. This behavior is self-destructive in all aspects of your life – and weight loss is no different.
Self Love for Weight Loss
Beating yourself up after overeating not only derails your progress, it can be downright harmful to your self-esteem and self-worth. On the other hand, being kinder to yourself can actually lead to longer lasting habit changes for several reasons.
When you speak kindly to yourself, it helps create feelings of worthiness, which then translates to enthusiasm and motivation. Also, change tends to come more easily when you’re in a place of self-acceptance. You may not be exactly where you want to be weight-wise right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t accept yourself for where you are – and work to get to where you want to be.
Tips to Bolster Self Love
Self love and self-compassion is not something that happens overnight. Like any other habit, it gets time to get used to. You have to practice to solidify the habit and make it something that comes naturally. When you find that you’re starting to talk negatively to or about yourself, take a deep breath and remember these tips.
