The way you perceive yourself has a huge impact on all areas of your life: how you interact with others, your relationships with your partner and loved ones in general, your intimate life and even on what job you are applying for. I talked about this and negative body image in a previous article. In a sociocultural environment where we are taught from childhood to be competitive and compare ourselves with others, appearance also becomes an important factor influencing our self-esteem. It is completely normal if we like some parts of our body us more than others, but if we become upset when we look at ourselves in the mirror and this determines our behavior, then we may be talking about a negative body image. If you find yourself constantly criticizing your appearance or preoccupied with how others perceive you in appearance, here are some tips and tricks you can try to improve your body image.1. Identify and Challenge Negative Thoughts The first step in overcoming negative body image is to become aware of toxic thoughts about your appearance. We are full of automatic internal assessments, and often we do not even have time to realize and track them, replaying the same thing in our heads over and over again out of inertia. What we tell ourselves often takes root and becomes such repeated “mantras”. After identifying these thoughts, it is important to challenge them and try to critically evaluate how true they are. Are your statements based on fact or opinion? Is this point of view realistic? What evidence is there that this is true? Be objective this time.2. Identify the secondary benefits of self-criticism In my opinion, this is a key task. Figure out what motivates you. You don't like your body, so you can allow yourself to lie down in the evening, eat something delicious and watch a series, instead of going out to meet friends or go on a date (which is stressful and scary)? Do you think that your partner left you because of his appearance, and not because you made complaints to him every day and systematically arranged a showdown? You don’t want to look for a new job either, because at the interview HR will look at your “ugly” nose, and not listen to you about your achievements and skills? Such a test is not for you - it’s easier not to change anything and stay at your old job! Sound familiar?3. Find the root cause If you constantly criticize your appearance, think about how this habit began. Do you really think you should lose weight, or are you trying to control your appearance to make up for a lost sense of control over other areas of your life where things don't go according to plan over and over again? Do you really dislike your figure, or do you just have an ingrained thought that you heard from someone else or that was instilled in you as a child by awkward statements from relatives?4. See yourself as a whole person When you see yourself in the mirror or think about who you are, don't focus on certain body parts or individual characteristics. See yourself as you want others to see you - a holistic, multi-faceted personality, full of different aspects, and this is why it is interesting to others.5. Say Nice Things to Yourself If you have a negative body image, you may be in the habit of saying “bad” things to yourself. The next time you have a negative thought about your body, challenge it. For example, if you catch yourself thinking something like: “I’m fat and ugly and no one likes me,” then immediately tell yourself: “That’s not true, I just thought that out of habit. In fact, I know that I have beautiful eyes and hair, and I’m also a great friend.” Contradicting yourself may be difficult at first, but the more you practice, the easier it will become. As a result, positive thoughts can also become automatisms, and as a result, self-esteem will improve.6. Decide if you need to talk to a therapist about it. That's all.