Self image is the image one has of oneself and it is built over a period of time. The events, the happenings everything shapes our image. A person can be intelligent, have good looks but may suffer from poor self image but on the other hand a person may have gone through a lot of hardships in life and may be a average guy but have high self image and high self esteem. A good self image gives us confidence and a low self image makes us doubts our abilities.
We have both positive and negative thoughts going on in our mind and when we want to run away from a situation we support our thoughts by those feelings by saying that we are not good at something and someone else can do it better. Sometimes others opinions and criticism lowers a persons self esteem so at that time you need to hold on and have confidence on your own self and brush off everyone's opinion and do what you want to do and believe in.
You can change yourself and adapt yourself to the world around you rather than complain about things around you. To better our self image we can change our thinking and adapt ourselves rather than try and change the whole world around us because it is easy to change ourselves and our thinking than manipulating situations and human beings. Remove the internal barriers, adapt to change. Be receptive, accept things in your life the way they come. I would say stop complaining and start living.
When you suffer from poor self image remember those situations and events where you did your best and people appreciated your effort that way you think positive and attract more of such events in your life. Any negative thought comes in your mind knock it off and replace it with a positive one, that way your energy and focus will shift and you will see a new person within you and a changed self. Try always to look at the positive side of life and then you will keep trying and improving yourself. Accept yourself the way you are. Every person has got positive and some negative qualities but that does not makes them less capable then others. Some one may be good at something which you cannot do but that does not belittle you and your capabilities.
Forgive and forget. Sometimes things happen in our life on which we do not have control so at that time it is good to forgive and forget and move on in life.
To improve your self image write down all the qualities you have and you are good at. That way you look at your brighter side. We react to life circumstances according to our self image. A positive self image affects our physical, social, spiritual and emotional well being.
To develop a positive self image we need to accept ourselves the way we are and work on our weaknesses. We can improve our self image over a period of time by doing friendship with good people, involving in healthy discussions, reading good books, doing quality work and gaining recognition. It is you who has to take the initiative and move on in life. There is no one except you who holds you back. Situations and circumstances are secondary. Nothing will hold you back for long if you have it in you your work and you will get recognized, have faith and move on. Improve your quality of life by improving your self image. Self image change happens over our life time. Nothing is permanent or fixed.
To have a healthy self image you need to -
- stop comparing your self with others
- Develop your strengths
- Love yourself
- Give positive affirmations
- Remember that you are unique
- Learn to laugh and smile
- Be comfortable with your own self
- Celebrate your achievements
With a positive self image you lead a more satisfied and fulfilling life than with a negative one. If a person is suffering from negative self image. He has to work on it and over a period of time he can feel the changes within himself. It cannot happen in a day. It can happen over a month or a year. Have patience, hold on and move on you will feel considerable changes within yourself but this will happen only when you take an initiative to do something about your present self image to change it to a better one in which you want to see your self in the future. Most of us lead life of scarcity, we complain about everything in life and thus complaining becomes our habit. It is when we stop complaining and work on what is in our hands and can be amended that we experience happiness and success. Life of scarcity leads to unhappiness which takes away your joy and pleasure and leads to miserable life full of sorrow. There are real life examples in front of us we can see and really learn from them. Life is a learning process and the process continues till we are alive on this earth. I would like to give an example of motivational speaker and author Les Brown who are left by his mother and adopted by a housekeeper and maid. He suffered from low self esteem and hence failed in the eighth grade while studying. Teachers said he suffered from learning disability and hence he could not complete his studies. But it was her mother who realized her son's capabilities and always had faith in him. He worked hard and changed his life and his self image and added various accolades to his honor.
Self image consists of 3 types -
1)How a person sees himself
2)How others see him
3)and the last is how he perceives others see him
Poor self image can be from within your own self. You keep thinking you are not worth the given recognition, or for doing the work at hand, while others may believe in you. Come out of your fears, conquer your fear. Meet people talk to them and maintain healthy relationships. You get a lot to learn from other people. See them, read about them and tide over your fears for a happy and satisfied life.
We see others as we are. So when we work on our self image and dig deep within ourselves we know ourselves better and hence we understand the people around us which in turn improves our relationship.
Very high self image is negative you see yourself to be above others and you get arrogant, selfish and difficult to be with. It is always better to be in the middle not to have high or low self image. Others success may lower our self esteem but this happens when we compare ourselves with others. If we think no matter what happens our time will come when we too will be victorious and receive glory. It is when we praise and bless others that we receive the same. If we are jealous and keep on wining and criticizing others we are calling more of that in to existence for our own selves. Praise from heart and you feel happy from within.
