When Body-Shaming Tries to Make a Comeback

Fashion trends come and go, they last for a while, then go out of style. Eventually, the trends will make a comeback. But there is one trend that was never fashionable and should never make a comeback into your life, which is body shaming.

Body Shaming is So Last Year

Do you know when you see something in the store that was tacky even a year ago when it tried to be a trend? Well, body shaming is even worse than that. Whether it is a dialogue that you made up in your head about how you look or something that others cruelly inflicted upon you, the pain is genuine, and the consequences even more so.

Even though you may have been through treatment, something like body-shaming is challenging to forget about entirely. It has a way of rearing its ugly head, especially in moments of stress or weakness. Those are the times you can put on your best mental outfit, pull out the attitude, and step into the light for a little mental refresher. You can remember the skills that you learned to help you to keep body shaming out of the store window, away from the bargain rack even, and into the trash where it belongs.

Walking the Catwalk of Your Life

Having self-confidence is not just a skill but also an art form. It is also the antidote to body shaming. When you can believe in your beauty and be confident in who you are inside and out, then body shaming has no power over you. You are gorgeous, you are powerful, and you own your body, and your life like a model might own the catwalk.

Finding that confidence is another story. Perhaps you felt it for a while, and then it slipped away a little bit. Just remember what you learned in treatment about your self-confidence, and how strong you felt. Imagine being in that place again and think about the skills you have learned. What would it take for you to get back to that place? 

You can also practice all of the other skills you learned, such as managing your emotions and your stress levels, which will help you to be stronger when body-shaming tries to make a comeback. You can also remember what you learned about communicating effectively in your life. Being able to stand up for yourself and advocate for any help you may need is empowering, and you can also help to deter body shaming by standing up to people who are trying to bully you. By using the tools you learned while in treatment, you can walk the catwalk of your life again in style.

Your Own Show

Like a designer who gets to show their clothes for the very first time, you can show your growth and skills in your own life. One of the best ways to do this is to practice mindfulness. Being present and living in the moment is one of the best defenses against body shaming. With mindfulness, you learn to look at things without judgment. If you are genuinely doing this, the sting from someone else’s words will not be able to harm you like maybe they did before.

Mindfulness also gives you the power of being authentic and in the moment. Like when you look in the mirror, you don’t see the shame assigned by your internal voices or other people’s voices. You see you. Beautiful, wonderful, powerful you. The one who has the power to take their life back from negative thoughts and shame and bullies. The one who is rocking that outfit right now, and who has enough self-love to see the inner and outer beauty standing before them.

The Latest Trends

Anyone can accept shame and live in pain; only a real trendsetter works to have mental health and self-confidence that makes the cover of every magazine. The latest trend is to love yourself, to invest in your mental and physical well-being, and to put body shaming on the worst-dressed list forever. 

You are ahead of the trends because you know what it takes to be that person. Sometimes it may be hard to practice mindfulness all of the time. That’s okay. Practice it right now. And then again the next time you forget, and so on. Being self-confident takes constant practice, especially when, in the past, you were not as confident. The best news is that if you remember your best moments where you felt the strongest and happiest, you can use all of your skills to create more of those moments now and in your future. You are creating the latest trends for you in your life. Here and now.

Body shaming is not always defeated the first time around. Like some terrible couture clothes, it may have multiple heads or something. Let’s not even go there. Instead, you can access the skills that you already have within you. As your confidence in yourself grows, and your confidence in your ability to maintain your mental health improves, you will realize that you do have power over body shaming. That you are fantastic, just the way you are. And that body shaming will never make a comeback in your life. 

Remember the skills you gained at Embark Behavioral Health, call us today at 1-855-809-0409 if you need help using your skills.