We are all familiar with the term “Self-Esteem”.  It’s the belief that we have innate value and potential and is based on the thoughts, images, beliefs, and physical habits that correspond to our perception and opinion we have of ourselves developed over time.

When you have a healthy self-esteem, you feel good about yourself, you appreciate your own worth and take pride in your abilities, skills, and accomplishments.  You have confidence and the motivation to try new things, and if you fail at something you analyze what happened and try again or move on. You project a positive attitude, make friends easily, and you enjoy life.

Your “body-esteem” is closely linked to your self-esteem and is sometimes referred to as “body image”. It’s very similar to self-esteem, except it relates to how you feel about your body and how you care for it.  It’s also the mental image you have of your body, and how you believe you appear to others.

It also reflects where you feel your place is in society and how you compare to others.  Unfortunately, our society glorifies the perfect body and it’s difficult to be positive if you believe you are fat, ugly, or don’t measure up to what you feel is the norm.

You don’t have to have what the media portrays as the perfect body to be attractive.  You can start today to develop body-esteem by changing how you feel about yourself.

First, stop comparing yourself to others and start focusing on the parts of your body you like and on your positive attributes rather than magnifiying what you feel are your negatives. Start dressing to emphasize you good attributes . . . and yes, you do have them.

You can also start an exercise program, start eating healthy foods, and write down compliments you receive about how you look, and refer to them often.  And, stand up straight, smile, and look straight ahead when you walk. You’ll look more confident and people will respond to you in a more positive way.

As a final suggestion, take a few minutes every day to visualize in your mind, how you will look, feel and act when you have achieved your ideal weight.

Your body is unique. Enjoy it and love it as you transform into your ideal image.