Have you ever looked at someone and thought that they looked just a little bit too plump? Most people have, but for some reason, when you actually notice it, it can still feel like a shock. We’re so used to seeing people on social media with perfect, polished images that when we meet them in person and see all their imperfections, it can still catch us off guard.
Whether you’re a kid or a grown-up, the chances are you’ve had some awkward moments when you’ve unexpectedly bumped into a person you knew in school or at a party and they’ve caught you off guard with an unexpected hug or a peck on the cheek. When that happens, you’re likely to feel a little bit of a shock and it’s not even necessarily the physical contact that brings the emotion – it’s just that you saw someone and they were so much more than you expected them to be.
For some, that emotion turns into shame. They feel bad about their body, but even more so, they feel bad about the fact that they don’t feel bad about their body. Even for adults, there’s still plenty of room for insecurities about weight and body image because as long as you’re not hurting yourself, there’s no reason to feel bad about what you look like. But in the meantime, a few wrinkles and stretch marks are enough to turn a hug into a goodbye kiss, or a friendly peck into a passionate embrace.
Here’s the thing, you’re never going to please everyone when it comes to your weight or your appearance. That’s a fact. But you can please yourself, and most importantly, you can be proud of what you look like because at the end of the day, it’s all about you. You’re going to have to find your own way to be happy with your body, and that means learning to love yourself exactly as you are and not compare your behind-the-scenes to someone else’s highlight reel. So instead of feeling bad about your stretch marks or your weight, you should embrace them as a symbol of your individuality. In the words of Oprah, “If you want to see yourself as others see you, look in the mirror and listen to what they have to say. Then you’ll realize that you’re a beautiful and unique individual, exactly the way you were meant to be.”
Try Something New
Now that you know how shocking it can be to see someone you know in real life and they don’t match up to your image in your head, try not to make that happen. It’s easy for that person to disappear behind a veil of pixels when you thought you knew them. The key is to make sure that when you do meet, you’re prepared and you have a good impression of them. If that means avoiding situations where that might happen, then so be it because you want to feel good about yourself, not bad.
Even if you don’t feel like you have a chance of something going wrong, it’s still good to be cautious. That said, you might want to try a new restaurant, sporting event, or party with friends and family, just to see how it feels to be outside your comfort zone. Even if you don’t feel like you’ll like everything you try, it’ll still be good for your own personal growth to try new things that are interesting or exciting. You might even find that you like something you never thought you would have liked.
Eat What You Want
Yes, eating healthy food is important, but not as much as you think. For some people, eating healthy can become an obsession and they’ll go to great lengths to make sure they’re eating the right food – even if it means missing out on foods they actually want. This might be because they associate food with pleasure, so they want to make sure they’re eating something that tastes good. For other people, avoiding certain foods might be because they associate those foods with a certain lifestyle they want to avoid – whether that’s fast food or salty snacks. It’s also possible that they just want to make sure they’re eating the right nutrients and vitamins so they can stay healthy. So while it’s important to eat healthy food, it’s also important to eat food that tastes good and makes you feel better. If you want to get rid of your stretch marks, you’re going to have to change the way you eat. That means giving up some of the foods you love and replacing them with healthier alternatives. And remember, it’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to food and weight issues. It’s always better to be over-cautious than under-cautious.
Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Exercise
We’re often guilty of putting too much pressure on ourselves when it comes to our weight. No matter what, we always think there’s a perfect weight for us, and we feel bad when we don’t match up to it. The key is to stop comparing your insides with someone else’s outsides. It’s always going to be awkward and unpleasant when that happens, so you might as well stop focusing on it. Instead, you can use that energy to work out and get stronger. The more strength you have, the less you’ll feel like you have to keep comparing your inside to someone else’s outside. Plus, working out builds your self-confidence, which can only help improve your mood. It’s important to remember that the best time for you to work out is going to be different to the best time for someone else. For some, it might be a morning workout while others prefer to go at night. But no matter when you work out, what matters is that you work out regularly.
Look Into Different Treatments
There are going to be times when you’re not going to be able to hide your stretch marks, and that’s okay. You’re not necessarily going to like seeing them, but that’s a fact you have to learn to live with. There are a variety of things you can do to fade or shrink stretch marks. Some people prefer to go the natural route and try and hide their marks by using skin care products and getting facials. There are also other options, such as using a laser to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and other types of skin damage. It’s important to do some research and find out what works best for you – whether that’s organic products, facials, or lasers.
It’s also important to try and figure out the root of the problem. For some people, their marks are the result of a bad diet and lack of exercise. If you’re constantly feeling bad about your body, it’s time to figure out why and fix it. If you think that your body image is improving just by seeing pictures of perfect people with perfect bodies on social media, then it might be time for a reality check. It doesn’t matter how good the food looks if your body isn’t ready to handle it. And it doesn’t matter how perfect the person looks if you don’t feel good about yourself. So while it’s important to improve your mood and confidence when it comes to your health and wellbeing, it’s also important to focus on the things you can change about your body – such as your diet and exercise regime – instead of what you can’t change, such as your bone structure or your height.
If you’re determined to lose those ugly stretch marks, it’s time to put in the work. It might be hard, but you’re worth it. Remember to try new things and make mistakes, because that’s how you grow and that’s how you become more independent and confident. And when you’re confident and independent, you don’t need anyone to tell you that you’re beautiful. You know it. And if you don’t, you should. Because you deserve to be confident and you deserve to be proud of what you look like. And that’s all that matters.