How to Free Yourself from Body Image Issues
Have you ever wondered why you may continue to have body image issues, in spite of consciously knowing that you need to love yourself?
Body image is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind. It is what you think and feel about your physical body. Many of us internalize messages during our childhood. These messages can lead to either positive or negative body image. Having a healthy body image is an important part for practising self-love.
While most of us do not suffer from eating disorders caused by poor body image issues, we have the tendency to be overly critical in how we look. Chances are, if you are like the vast majority, you’d find yourself constantly thinking “I am flawed” or I don’t look good enough”. Thoughts like these can have a negative impact on self-confidence and your ability to shine!
There was a day when I was rudely awakened to why it could be so challenging for women to stop beating themselves up over their appearance. It happened when I was reading an article about Lady Gaga who encouraged thousands to embrace their bodies after hitting back at critics who called her fat. The article was in the pull-out Friday segment of our main newspaper. The writer then went on to rounding up 5 celebrity women who were proud of their curves.
How To Love Yourself In 17 Ways
How to love yourself when you don’t know how?
It’s exactly what it was like when I first started realising that I needed to love myself but have no idea where to start.
I felt embarrassed that I was clueless and that I should already know this stuff. “How to love yourself” sounded like something that everyone ought to know from young. You see…by the time I became aware about the importance of self-love, I was already an adult, married and with young children.
I even found it surprising (and even laughable) to realise that I was clueless.
Surely, I should be some kind of an expert? After all, as I recalled, relationship matters had been a key focus since my younger days. My attention was on dating, partying and looking for a potential partner. Over cups of latte, I would have long conversations with my girlfriends about relationship issues. As things turned out, I found myself failing miserably in my early relationships. I was in and out of love.
25 Self-Love Tips for Stressed Out Moms
Are you a stressed out mom?
As mothers, we have multiple tasks to fulfill such as preparing meals for our children, supervising their homework, and making sure their needs are met. We may also need to handle domestic chores, face our clients, run our businesses or meet work datelines as well as mange the household finance. It is no wonder that many mothers experience overwhelm. And should the relationships with our spouse be difficult, stress can hit a high.
“The first time around as a mom, I held on really tight and I was so stressed.” – Bridgette Wilson
Triggers for the Stressed Out Mom
Being a mother myself, I know that stress is something that I have to learn to overcome. While my children have brought me tremendous joy, bringing them up has certainly not been a walk in the park. One stress trigger for me is trying to meet the demanding educational standards here in Singapore.
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How to Release Emotional Pain with EFT Tapping
Are you in any emotional pain?
Was it due to some past traumatic event or situation that you can’t let go of?
Is there a long-standing physical symptom that also goes with your emotional pain such as a dull but throbbing heart ache, stabs on the back, weight on the shoulder or a paralysing sensation that numbs you on your hands and legs?
Or could you also be feeling emotional pain whenever you are tuning into the pain-body that is part of collective whole? Just think about the negative news that you have been reading….on all the senseless terrorist attacks, for instance. It’s been affecting you and everyone else.
Well….whether it is personal or it comes from being part of society, it is possible to clear the emotional pain such that the energetic charge is either gone or reduced. Even if you had been holding on to it for a long time.
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How to Let Go of Resistance to Change
Learning to let go of resistance to change is incredibly important if we are hoping to grow, evolve or improve ourselves. A resistance to change can happen when we are caught in the habit of doing things in a certain way. We become rigid even when the landscape has changed. We lose flexibility. We ask ourselves: why rock the boat when the old ways have worked?
This message became clear to me early last year. A new train station had opened near my home. It now takes 4 minutes for me to walk out of my front door to the train stop. With the newly opened tracks, I have more options in routes to many destinations.
Anyone would have excited about the improved convenience. Except that it took weeks for me to process my increased options. I continued taking old routes and ways to reach where I wanted to go.
Until one day, while at a bus stop, I found myself thinking about how much time I was wasting waiting for a bus that was taking a long time to show up. This was also when I had an “aha” moment (where dark clouds start to part and light finally came in)!
How to Address The Emotional Causes to Skin Problems
Emotional causes to skin problems can be something that you want to look into, if your issues are persistent. While using steroids may alleviate your itch-scratch-itch symptoms, they are not cures. Also, long time reliance on drug medications can result in a “thinning” of your skin layer.
I know enough about dealing with skin healing issues myself. After all, I have had bad eczema outbreaks for many years until a few years ago. Recently, from working with clients, I noticed that there is a distinct relationship between those who are particularly energetically sensitive at the soul-level with also having a skin problem.
Skin disorders are like no other. Just as stress can result in skin problems, skin disorders can also cause tremendous stress. In cases of severe skin issues, those afflicted can become depressed. While it seems shallow, let’s admit that appearances do have an impact on first impressions. It can also affect our ability to find a mate, land that all-important interview or secure our next promotion.
Enneagram Type 9: Positive Affirmations for Path of Growth
Overview of the Enneagram Type 9: The Peacemaker, Mediator, Spiritual Seeker
If you are an Enneagram Type 9, you are about harmony. You are peace-loving, trusting, easy-going and even-tempered. Your mantra is to go with the flow. Sitting on the crown of the Enneagram, you hold spiritual instincts. What is ironical is that despite your orientation to spirituality, you are potentially the most grounded in the physical world.
You exude a positive energy. What appeals is the pleasant side of life. You enjoy being stress-free and desire life to be effortless. Being optimistic, you carry the faith that things will somehow work out on its own. Your belief is that everything will be okay should everyone stay cool and collected and no one rocks the boat.
“If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.” — 14th Dalai Lama
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How to Find the Nirvana of Life Balance
Do you find it hard to achieve life balance?
Balance can be a challenging thing to attain if your work schedule is hectic and demanding.
“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” Thomas Merton
Perhaps, you have been striving hard for the money; climbing up the corporate ladder or running your business. You could also be a mompreneur working hard to balance babies and business at the same time.
And so, up till now, there could have been aspects of your life that you have ignored or set aside.
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How to Spot 10 Warning Signs of Narcissism in Your Partner
Someone with signs of narcissism is described as extremely self-centered. The narcissist is predominantly preoccupied with thoughts of “I, me, myself or mine”. Egoistical, he (or she) strives to be in a superior position. What differentiates narcissism from other forms of behaviour is sadism. The narcissist tends to disparage and belittle others.
Like many other conditions, narcissism occurs in a spectrum. At its most extreme, it is known as Narcissistic Personality Disorder. This article covers content that pertains to individuals with narcissistic tendencies. For an accurate diagnosis, please consult with a trained mental health professional.
“Unconscious people – and many remain unconscious, trapped in their egos throughout their lives – will quickly tell you who they are: their name, their occupation, their personal history, the shape or state of their body, and whatever else they identify with.” – Eckhart Tolle
I was speaking to a client the other day. Michelle (pseudonym) has been feeling rather battered by her husband. From her descriptions, it appears that her husband is someone who has narcissistic traits. Of course, her sense of self-worth and self-love were not high to begin with.
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Interview Story: Heal Cancer with Self-Love
“Befriend, don’t battle, cancer.”
“We cannot take a spiritual bypass, especially when we are faced with a challenge of this magnitude.”
“Make more room for the light.”
– Rev Denise DeSimone during the interview call
I would like to introduce to you, Rev Denise DeSimone, author to the book From Stage IV to Center Stage
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