Loving yourself and your body is so important for your mental health and your self-love journey. Falling into a negative mindset happens easier than you might think, and before you know it you’re digging yourself out of a hole of negative self-talk. As a Kalamazoo Boudoir photographer, I take it upon myself to inspire women to love themselves and find their positive mindset. Keep reading the blog for inspiration on how to “get your shift together”. Let’s shift that negative mindset and get back to loving yourself.
Let’s talk about mindset and body image.
We all have imperfections. You may feel alone in these thoughts sometimes but trust me, you’re not. Sometimes, when we’re feeling less than confident, we can list all our flaws in the snap of a finger. It’s easy to go down a rabbit hole when one thing sets us off. What’s not as easy is digging ourselves out of that rabbit hole.
How you look at these things is completely up to you, however. It’s all about your mindset. If you want to lead a happier, more fierce life, you need to be conscious of these thoughts and patterns. The first step is to stop and SHIFT your mindset.
I know what you’re going to say, “Brea it’s so much easier said than done” and trust me, I know. That’s why I’m here to give you tips and tricks to help shift your mindset and remind you that you are not alone in this.
Here’s how you can change the way that you feel about yourself:
The things that we perceive to be imperfections are really not that at all. They are the things that make us different and perfect within ourselves. The key to getting out of this negative mindset is changing the way in which you see them. Shift your mindset to see these “imperfections” as beautiful things that make you, YOU.
Here’s a tough one… STOP comparing yourself to others. No two bodies are the same. These are the little things that make you so utterly unique. Embrace that, accept it and honor it. Let’s make body positivity and embracing our beautiful bodies the norm.
I said it once and I’ll say it again, you’re not alone in those negative thought patterns. Too many of us actually fall into these patterns do this without even realizing it. When you’re dealing with a whole load of pressure in your life, it’s easiest to internalize things and start blaming yourself. However, that’s not the healthy thing to do which is why I’m here to help you shift your mindset.
The key here is catching the negativity before it spreads. When you find yourself thinking something bad about yourself, pause, take a minute, and think about something else. Go to your happy place. It could well be that you’re in the habit of putting yourself down, which is why it’s important to put in the work to shift your mindset. Just like any other habit it will, of course, take some time to train yourself. The more you do it, the easier it will be and eventually your positive thoughts will be just as automatic as your negative thoughts once were.
Here’s a quick exercise to get you started: for every negative thought that invades your mind, you need to think of three positive things. It could be related to the subject or the world around you. Anything positive will help. The key is to not go down that RABBIT HOLE OF NEGATIVITY. Let’s get our shift together, girl.
Let’s talk about our ego. Our ego is there to protect us so it will do whatever it can to block anything getting past it. More often than not, people are worried about what others think of them because it makes them feel vulnerable. It’s a deep rooted fear that plays into it of not being accepted and the fear of being hurt. The important thing to understand here is that vulnerability is not necessarily a negative trait. It’s a sign of great strength to show yourself to the world and not stress about how they may or may not perceive you. Strength is found when we can get beyond the ego and trust that everything is going to be just fine.
This next tip might be hard at first, but it’s worth giving a shot. How much do you love yourself? Can you list all of the things that make you special? Sit down with a pen and paper and give it a go. It could be a better experience than you imagine.
Sometimes, we fail to see all the wonderful traits we have, even though they are so very obvious to an outsider. Taking the time to see these characteristics will give you a newfound bout of confidence and make you feel more content than ever before. You have something that no one else in this world has. Find that within.
If you don’t like what’s being said around you or you find yourself surrounded by people who drag you down rather than lift you up– it’s up to you to change that. Sometimes we not only have to change the way we speak and think about ourselves, but also the negativity we allow ourselves to be surrounded by.
It’s time to switch the focus away from negative talk, including self talk and talk of others. We all know those people that think the world is out to get them, they are always complaining and they are full of pessimism. Immerse yourself with more positive people, stay away from social media that triggers you, and unfollow people who don’t bring out the best in you. Start listening to uplifting podcasts or audibles, go make new friends. You are a mix of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Make sure those 5 people are the traits you want to have. Once you make that intention for yourself, the negative people just kind of disappear from your life. Like attracts like. It’s a universal law. So, decide what you want to attract and change your life.
Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end of the blog. I know girl, thinking about these things can be exhausting and daunting. It starts with one decision, however. One decision that you’ve ALREADY made, which is reading this entire blog and taking this information seriously. You’re one step further than you thought you were! Start with the small things, and then build. It’s a process of breaking a bad habit and creating a healthy one. It will change your life and make you a better, happier, version of yourself.
We have got shifts to do, girl! I believe in you, and you should believe in you too. When you’re ready to really get to exploring your self-love and confidence contact me here to talk more about your own boudoir experience.
You can also join my group of empowered women going through the similar journey here.
Journey to a Positive Mindset | Kalamazoo Boudoir