By Satvika

Is that why I wear baggy clothes?

A few months ago I was having a conversation with some of my friends and while being on the topic of how vacations have made us lazy I said that I’ve gained a bit of a weight. And in response to that a friend responded by saying “Is that why you wear baggy clothes?”

This triggered me more than I expected. I knew that I had gained some weight but I wasn’t aware that I was insecure about it. Which made me question many things. I started asking myself- “is that why I wear baggy clothes?” “Is that why I don’t show much skin and wear covering clothes while going out?” And I was right. Yes. I do wear baggy clothes to cover certain parts of my body that I am insecure about. Then I also realized that I have subconsciously limited my food quota. I eat the same amount of food every day. Even if sometimes the food is less; I would just eat it without saying anything and asking for more. I started to tell myself that I don’t get hungry. I am not a teenager anymore, so I can’t eat as much food as I used to. Even when I started working out I used to never feel satisfied with my workout. It didn’t matter how much I actually accomplished. It never felt enough. At times I got very tired but told myself that it was because I was unhealthy. When in reality I got tired because of working out too hard. 

With time I started feeling insecure about different parts of my body. I felt insecure about my height, my nose, my acne. Which decreased my confidence. 

When we start feeling insecure about our body we start to lie to ourselves. We begin to tell ourselves things about ourselves which aren’t true. We simply assume that they are and our anxiety leads us to imagine that they are. But it is important to acknowledge that such thoughts are irrelevant and you have to take action to prevent these thoughts. If you have felt anything that I have felt or something similar, just know that you are not alone. Anyone can feel this way, even the person you think is perfect may have insecurities. Please make sure to recognize your feelings, and take care of your mental health because it has much more impactful health consequences.

Here are some tips for overcoming body insecurities that helped me.

1. Practice positive self-talk.
2. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable- Talk about, write about your insecurities
3. Take yourself out- just getting out of your head both physically and mentally from what you are doing does help.
4. Be more mindful of how you treat your body- make sure to get needed food, sleep on time and the right amount.
5. Be patient with yourself- change, recovery, healing.
   
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Tags: #bodyinsecurities #lowconfidence #mentalhealth #positiveselftalk #recoverhealing #selfhate #Bodyshaming