In my previous post, you learned some self-acceptance “Don’ts”. Here is your first “Do”, to improve your self-acceptance, starting today.
One Nice Thing. This is a cornerstone exercise:
Every time you see yourself in a mirror, a shop window, any reflective surface, say one nice thing to yourself about your appearance. It doesn’t matter what you say.
“You look good in red.”
“Your hair looks decent today.”
“You’re really rockin’ that manicure!”
Say anything. Just say something, and make it nice.
You’ve spent years and years telling yourself how fat you are every time you pass your reflection. You’ve taken your own mental beating.
It’s time to build new pathways in your brain, and with repetition, that’s what this exercise can do. We’re retraining ourselves to notice the positive first. This may be a very new habit for you, and it takes time and attention.
If you find this incredibly hard to do, good! That means you especially need it. Put reminders on the mirrors you use most often to remind yourself. No matter what you think about your current physique, I guarantee you can find one nice thing to say…and you deserve a compliment.
More tomorrow.
