How to avoid comparing yourself to others
Stop comparing yourself to others - we all have our flaws!
Someone may look svelt like a super model, have a thigh gap, sport a washboard tum immediately after giving birth or just generally just look amazing in a bodycon dress, but that doesn’t mean they’re happy with everything they were born with. I for one may look slim and toned (good job given my profession!), but I have my hang ups like the rest of you (don’t ask – too many to list!). So how can we embrace what we have and stop beating ourselves up about things we can’t necessarily change?
Work with what you’ve got and not what someone else has
While having someone you admire can be motivating, as it’s something to strive for, it can also be detrimental if those ‘qualities’ you’re striving for are unachievable for you personally, making self-doubt raise its head. It can also be quite time-consuming thinking about how good other people have it, so don’t just think about it, do something about it! Redirect your energy to work on you, for you.
Ease up on self-depreciation
Being critical of oneself is just human nature, but sometimes we just beat ourselves up too much. Some things we can change – those love handles and bingo wings can be sorted with better eating and exercising – but some we just have to accept – that wonky nose isn’t going to be fixed without surgery. So put those non-fixable things to the side and concentrate on the ones you can fix with a change to your lifestyle.
Don’t forget that we don’t always know what goes on behind the scenes
Super models for example have really strict regimes to get what they have. Aside from the fact they have to give up some of life’s pleasures and work really hard to get that body, it’s also often unsustainable in the long run. The same can be said of the professional athlete, who works out for endless hours in a week to get to the right fitness level for their sport. Do you have the time to dedicate to working out that they do? Probably not, so don’t use them as a ‘goal’ body.
And also, don’t forget that often what people portray is what they want us to see and not the hardship they have to battle when out of the public eye.
Look at achieving something that’s sustainable and not a quick fix
Do you really want to be the party pooper at a dinner party, who’s always just eating a salad and boring everyone with their diet, as you’re so focused on that ‘goal’ body? You need to find something that allows for a little leeway, so that your striving for your ideal body, isn’t a never-ending chore. Find the joy in your life and reduce the stresses you put on yourself. You’ll feel so much better about yourself and give off a much better aura if you’re happy in yourself.
Change your mindset
Look at how you’ve improved over time and what changes have happened to you personally, and not to what’s going on with your best friend or whatever celeb you’re currently keen on. It’s difficult, but it’s that striving to become a better version of yourself that you should be aiming for and not saying ‘I want to look like x’.
The body is an amazing thing, but all of them are individual and they work differently, so you not losing weight as fast as your friend, or not jumping back into your pre-pregnancy jeans 2 weeks after birth may not be physically possible. Instead celebrate what YOUR body can do and focus on how you can improve it in your own way!
If you want some help with changing your mindset and working towards that better version of yourself then do get in touch for a chat.
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