Thrive Global: We Can Fit Through the Doors We Choose

"Life is not one-size-fits-all. We each go through different challenges with different mindsets in different bodies. Our experiences form our frame of reference. There are doors that some of us walk through and some don’t. Some exit and some stay. We choose our roadways and doorways, though it sometimes feels like they choose us.

Most of us recognize that too often females enter into negative self-talk, particularly about our bodies. And many women never leave that conversation.

Our culture of objectification is harmful to our self-esteem and vision of our true selves. The ideal of beauty isn’t even the same for different groups of women; it is subjective to their cultural and personal preferences. And yet we as women cling to whatever definition of beauty we hold and turn ourselves inside-out in the effort to achieve it.

Our bodies are the vessels for what we bring to the world, and they are the physical means for us to do the work we were born to do. They were never meant to define us.

Social media is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to our self-esteem. One of the pitfalls is when we compare ourselves to others through our social media platforms. These comparisons aren’t even based on reality, but we still look to see how we measure up. We’re continually looking at ourselves through the lens of other people. We create personas of ourselves for social media and then compare ourselves to others who are doing the same thing. False perceptions, distorted body images, finding fault in ourselves and others.

One of the positive aspects of today’s technology is the way that we can connect with one another – even during a pandemic!

The bottom line is that what other people think of our appearance isn’t all that important. What’s most important is what we think and say to ourselves. It’s important that we take care of our bodies. It is important that we are kind and work hard and stay true to our values. These traits are beautiful. Our beauty shines through when we treat ourselves and others with care. We can fit through any door that we select. To do so, we must believe that we are beautiful, worthy, and can handle whatever is on the other side. Because we are and we can."

Read the full article here!

Reflection:

What is something you love about youself?

#Self-Esteem #Appearance #EmotionalRegulation