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Self-Conscious About Your Body? Forget What They Think

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forget what others think and stop being self-conscious iStockphoto/Thinkstock

"She was afraid to come out of the water ..." About a half a century ago, a song on the radio about a self-conscious young girl was very popular.

Her nerve gave out as she wore her brand new teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini in public. She got into the water alright.

But then she was just too self-conscious to come back out of the water. And there she stayed.

The song was funny, and teenage girls in general could relate to it. Most of them, and plenty of us now, have suffered agonies about wearing a bathing suit where other people can see us.

So maybe not so funny when you think about it.

Is this you? Don't let insecurities and imagined, magnified or even realistic flaws of your body spoil your summer fun.

The automatic thing for the average North American female this time of year is to be thinking about losing winter weight, toning up soft muscles and trying to become as close as possible to the Body Beautiful in each of our psyches. It's a great idea to eat healthy foods and to lose unhealthy weight. It's also a great idea to tone those mucles and make your body as fit as you can.

But, do it for you. Do it out of respect for your body, and for yourself.

Don't get caught up in the trap of obsessing about what people you know and for heaven's sake, even people you don't know who have nothing to do with you, think about your appearance.

Many women as they get older, look back on their teens, twenties, and on up, with a changed perspective. Many wish with all their hearts that they had not wasted so much time and energy wrapped up in other people's judgments.

They wish now that they had given themselves a break and spent more time going for it and less time wondering if their hair was right, and their thighs were thin enough, their legs trim enough, .... the list can be endless if you really get going.

By all means, eat great healthy food and walk away from junk food. And raise a sweat, raise your heart rate, make that body sing.

Do it in a way that says, you love yourself and you want to be the best you can be, for yourself. And then you be the judge of what that is.

Put on your running shoes, or hop on your bike, head off to the gym -- follow your Fitness Muse and Cheerleader in whatever other way you choose, and leave the internal and external critical judges behind.

Reviewed on May 3, 2012
by Maryann Gromisch, RN

Sources:

Self-Esteem & Body Image
http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/self_esteem.html

Cause of low self esteem
http://www.health-womens-healthy-living-goals.com/cause-of-low-self-este...

Bryan Hyland lyrics: Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini
http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/brian_hyland/itsy_bitsy_teenie_weenie_...

Visit Jody's website and blog at http://www.ncubator.ca and http://ncubator.ca/blogger

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Jody Smith
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.