How to stop measuring your body against others

The 17-year-old Marina was walking down the crowded streets of her hometown. Soon she became a senior high school student and found herself surrounded by college students who had just returned to the fall semester. They filled the sidewalks, shopped for dorm supplies, chatted with groups, and moved around town with confidence. However, for Marina, the scene quickly became overwhelming and painful.

Marina spent most of her day obsessed with her look. Feeling uneasy about her body, she was constantly comparing herself to others, desperately seeking a sense of validation. However, this habit was rarely reassuring. It was pushed down. As she walked, her eyes scanned college students around her, focusing on young women of her age. Of all possible comparisons, she was trapped in a particular body part, that is, a stomach.

Research shows that women often compare individual body parts with other body parts. Her stomach-sensitive marina carefully looked into whether the centre of her companions seemed flatter, thinner or more tighter than her. She longed for a lean, flat stomach and used these comparisons as her distorted scales. Self-worth.

However, appearance-based comparisons do more than exacerbate physical dissatisfaction. Also, through face-to-face encounters, or Social Media. Research consistently found that people engaged in physical comparisons tend to compare themselves upwards. In other words, they focus on people who perceive them as more attractive. The larger the perceived gap, the greater the risk of physical dissatisfaction. A messy meal Action regardless of race Ethnicity.

This explains why Marina often got worse after comparing herself to others. In her mind, she placed herself at the bottom of the gap between what she looked like and how she wanted to see. She then felt unhappy, hated her body even more and stuck to losing weight to “close the gap.” As these comparisons occurred frequently, the effect deteriorated over time.

Furthermore, research shows that women are unhappy with their bodies and engaged in upward comparisons than women who are physically satisfied. These upward comparisons are associated with greater negative emotions, increased physical dissatisfaction, and increased impulses to exercise. diet Change your body and shrink.

So, what can help a young woman like Marina entering a room or down the sidewalk’s feelings? A few years ago, one of my patients developed a simple and powerful strategy that matches the principles of Cognitive behavior Treatment. She started by noticing her when Note I drifted towards a comparison of appearance. Once she caught herself, she deliberately shifted her focus elsewhere, turning over her brain channels.

Her creative solution was to focus on her shoes. Instead of making someone bigger, she looked at footwear and made up stories about people based on her shoe choices. Who wears sneakers, boots, and sandals? By redirecting her Imaginationshe confused the negative cycle of body comparisons with curiosity and storytelling.

There are many evidence-based strategies to reduce physical dissatisfaction and comparison. For example, mirror exposure therapy encourages individuals to see themselves in the mirror while repeating positive tests positive About their bodies. Christine Neff’s approach to self-compassion teaches people to treat themselves with the same kindness that people offer to their friends, and to replace criticism with empathy, Mindfulnessand shared perceptions of humanity. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) also equips individuals to capture, challenge and reconstruct negative bodily thoughts to be more constructive. Prevention programs are even more useful by shifting their focus from appearances about the cultural ideals of thinness to physical functioning, acceptance and critical thinking. Meanwhile, an increase in the presence of diverse body types on social media has been shown to foster healthier Self-image.

For the marina, the change took place gradually. She gets tired of the time and energy lost in her body comparisons and realizes how confused they have caused her healthy identity development. Slowly, she learned to redirect her focus – sometimes by assessing her qualities beyond her physical appearance, sometimes with the storytelling strategy of her shoes. Over time, these new habits helped her to free herself from the constant grip of comparison of appearances and regain more of her life.