More than 10 million women are suffering with their body image and it can affect your self-esteem. I am one of the 10 million women that suffers with their body image. I confess, I am coming clean and speaking 100% honest to you. I have lost over 115 pounds and still suffer with my body image. When I look in the mirror I don’t see the image that everyone else sees. It is weird to explain to those of you who have not lost a lot of weight or even gained weight, our minds eye sees what it wants to see versus with is really reflected in the mirror.

You have seen women walking down the street and think, what in the world? Did they NOT look in the mirror before they left the house? (or it could be you) Chances are they did and they really liked what they saw. That is why they are walking out in the streets head up and chest out. It’s so hard to judge others because I know I am guilty of it myself. Almost all of us were either small and gained weight or big and lost weight, but the true test is how we adjust. There are many things that need to adjust, our wardrobe, our attitude, our mind set. We must adjust to reflect that change that has physically taken place. I know that it is hard for us to see our true image, the image that others see us as, our minds eye is very powerful, trust me. Let me share with you some of the tricks and tips that I have learned to use to view myself.

When I look in the mirror, I see a little chunky Elizabeth looking back at me. But in order to see what others see, I take a picture of myself….the camera does not lie. Have you seen a picture of yourself and say “Do I really look like that?” or “Do I look fat?” Well it could be the lighting, it could be that you are in mid smile or mid conversation but your body is what it is. So if you say Dang I look fat in this picture…..that’s probably how other people see you. It could be a million reasons why the picture is not flattering but if you are finding yourself saying “I look fat” in almost every picture you take, you really should look at yourself as you are and not as you were.

There are several things you can do to help improve your self-image and self-esteem. We all know the most obvious is working out and eating right. When we take time to be good to our bodies we really feel good about ourselves. Our self-esteem gets a boost regardless of the scale, we feel as though we are in control, we are making ourselves strong and healthy, instead of letting everything control our bodies.

Another way to feel good about yourself is get new clothes, that fit! I know you used to wear a size 8 but now you are a size 10 or vice versa. No one sees the size of your clothes, the tag is on the inside of your clothes for a reason. Find the size that fits your body style no matter the size on the tag. When you are wearing the proper size jeans no one is saying Dang, I wonder what size those jeans are she is wearing. They are saying Dang she is rocking those jeans!! However, try to squeeze your size 10 into a size 8 and the responses will be a whole lot different. First of all, you won’t feel comfortable and others will be able to tell that as well.

Try a new hair style. Getting a new do is hard, trust me I know. If you have had the same hair style for the past 10 years, it’s time for a change. A cut, new color or even a part on the opposite side. Change is good, not easy but good, it pushes us out of our comfort zone and shakes us up a bit. The great thing about hair is, that it’s just hair and it will grow back or easily change back to what you had before. Try to sit with that new do for at least 4 weeks before going back to your safe style.

Let’s take a lesson from the trees, watch how they change and let things go. This is a great time of the year to clean out your closet, set those new goals, change and let go of the old.