The Whole World is Photoshopped

One of these days I'm going to have a portrait taken.  Then I'm going to get the photographer to:

1. make my neck longer
2. make my cheeks less chubby
3. make my hair more lustrous
4. remove my jowls
5. "unpuff" my eyes
6. give me more defined eyebrows
7. remove the wrinkles on my brow
8. whiten my teeth
9. shorten my two front teeth
10. hide the grey regrowth in my hair

And what will this give me?  A totally false image of what I could look like if I just dieted, exercised, had plastic surgery, spent hours every day applying specialised make-up, oh, and lost about 20 years.  But I might look upon it as an aspirational portrait too, if I just applied myself enough.  And what I am saying is, that, basically that's what the media do to us.  If you don't believe me, just look below

This photoshop disaster was actually published.  Look at that ridiculous waist: - no human being looks like this.  It was actually a landmark oops in the world of publishing, but the truth is not too far away.  As I said in my e-course (yes, I know, it'll be finished soon) "even Jennifer Aniston doesn't look like Jennifer Aniston".  

What came across my laptop screen today reminded me strongly of a Dove commercial where they illustrate what happens to a photo once it's taken.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHqzlxGGJFo  And the tagline is "no wonder our vision of beauty is distorted".

The new video is equally compelling.  http://www.dailylife.com.au/dl-people/the-reason-why-we-have-ridiculous-beauty-standards-20131031-2wi7r.html Effie Mann writes about the unrealistic, unattainable, goals that come from seeing ordinary people look extraordinary with the help of a computer application.  No wonder toddlers are going on diets.  No wonder adolescents are anorexic.  No wonder teenagers are bulimic.  And no wonder the rest of us are always disappointed when we look in the mirror.  Time to STOP THIS MADNESS.  We are not just our appearance.  We are far more complex and ever-changing than our appearances represent.  Remember "you can't judge a book by its cover" - meaning  that when you have only seen the surface of something, you cannot know what is on the inside.

You are the boss of your inner critic - not vice versa.

Don't you just HATE it?  That nasty voice inside us that tells us we're fat, stupid, ugly, old, moronic, a waste of space, worthless and a complete failure and loser.  I'm sure there are some insults I've forgotten.  This critical voice is supposed to spur us on to be better and yet it does pretty much exactly the opposite.  If you have too many Tim Tams - it'll tell you you've ruined your healthy eating program and you'll never lose weight and you'll die lonely and alone with 27 cats gnawing at your remains (no really this kind of vitriol does exist inside people's heads).

Its time we took charge again and not allow this nasty voice to be in charge.

Natural Therapy for All (great blog!)  have published a four step plan to help you manage that voice that calls us such terrible names and sabotages our successes and dreams.  Have a read

Deny it or not – sometimes, we are our worst critics.  When making decisions, pursuing a new career, or taking risks, we often struggle with the inner critic inside us, someone who always reminds us that disappointment, frustration and failure are just around the corner – ready to conquer us. It is the voice that only ourselves can hear, but is so powerful that it can prevent us from reaching our goals and living life to the fullest.

The sad truth is that we have no power to shut down our inner critic. It is part of who we are. Actually, it is a necessary part. Imagine this. You have to cross the street. Without your inner critic warning you of possible dangers, you might cross without paying attention to the speedy cars passing by, as well as the road signs or stop lights. Yes, our inner critic helps us stay away from danger, and in other cases, from being hurt, failing, and so on.

But in life, there are decisions and risks that we have to push through in order to reach our goals. Like for instance, in getting to know a potential mate. Your inner critic might tell you not to entertain that person in your life as you may just get hurt, betrayed, or dumped later. But what if it’s the other way around? What if that person is the one who is going to complete you, to make you happy, and to make you a better person? You’ll never know until you try. This applies to all other aspects of life – career, health, family, etc.

The good news is that you have the power to take control of your inner critic and use it to your advantage. The question is how? The key to managing your inner critic is to develop a balanced relationship with it. You can do this by following these steps:

1)      Understand what your inner voice is trying to tell you. The negative voice inside you is not your enemy. It is just trying to help you (although many times it ends up ruining your plans and decisions). It may have useful points as well. You just have to listen. Assess if what your inner critic saying is true, logical and important and try to consider it if yes. But remember that at the end of the day, it is your logical, smart and optimistic self who will decide.

2)      Recognise the events or situations that often trigger your inner critic. It might be there whenever you are asked to speak in front of many people, when you are assigned to handle a big project, and so on. Often, our inner critic arises from the failures we have experienced in the past. Maybe you just need to work on these areas so the next time you encounter them, you are more confident.

3)      Develop optimism. You inner critic is more powerful when you are pessimistic. Instead of getting carried away with those criticisms, tell your critic self that you understand that he or she is just trying to protect you, but you have to push through with something to reach your goals.

4)      Act in spite of your inner critic. Keep your inner critic close by, but not too close that it’s already able to dictate you of what to do. As soon as your inner critic starts ranting, ask yourself – Is it helping me or hurting me?  This critical person is just a small part of you. You are much wiser than your inner critic to understand his or her real motives. The moment you identify that your inner critic is just overreacting, go and pursue with your plans.

Whilst your inner critic can be helpful at times, never allow it to rule your life and be bullied by it. Again, it is just a part of you, not a whole. Don’t let it get in the way and stop you from developing and becoming the person you want to be.

©Copyright 2013 by http://www.naturaltherapyforall.com 

Gratitude is the right attitude

I have a major gratitude: I'm alive.  That's a really good "status" to focus on rather than on the fact that we ate too many pieces of chocolate last night or that we're 20, 50 or 100 kg overweight.  We so often focus on what we don't have rather than what we do.

But studies show that happiness is linked to an "attitude of gratitude".  If we write down at least three things each day that we are grateful for, we will be more happy.

This works for life in general, but why not apply it to eating, weight and emotions?

What three things can you be grateful for each day?

How about:

1.  I could have eaten a whole packet of Tim Tams but I stopped at five.  I'm grateful I stopped and thought about what I was doing.

2.  I said "no" to that second slice of cake at the office birthday celebration. I'm grateful that I was kind to myself and my health in that situation

3.  I was nice to myself when I looked in the mirror this morning - I didn't call myself fatso. I was just grateful that my legs and arms worked.

I'm sure you can find some things you can be grateful for each day in this area.  And who knows - perhaps gratitude leads to an improved attitude.  And perhaps an improved attitude leads to improved self care.  And perhaps improved self-care leads to increased health and well-being.  Why not take that journey and find out for yourself??

Natural Therapy for All have written about how important gratitude is in our lives.  Check out their link below.

http://blog.naturaltherapyforall.com/2013/09/23/what-gratitude-does-to-your-health/

And I hope you enjoy the cartoon.  I think it says a lot.

When we "supersize" in the fast food place, that's exactly what happens. (think about it)

We love to get a bargain don't we?  But what sort of bargain is it to buy food that we don't need, then consume it because we don't want to waste the money.  This is perceived value, and has nothing to do with need.  Its a marketing ploy from a food industry that wants you to become addicted to their food and they employ sophisticated psychological and scientific techniques to lure you in.

That combination of fat, salt and sugar that hits the dopamine receptors in the brain (or the "bliss point" as the food industry calls it) is done on purpose.  That's why there's sugar in hamburger buns - so that the industry can get the "holy trinity" in the so-called "Happy" Meal.

But is that meal really making you happy? For longer than five minutes?  Or is it just making you more miserable with your increasing weight and what you perceive as your lack of control?

Step away from the Unhappy Meal and be kinder to yourself.  More is not necessarily better.  Think quality not quantity. Don't let a corporation dictate your health and well-being to you. Take back the responsibility that you ceded to "big food" out of ignorance, convenience or whatever reason.  A corporation does not have its customers' interests as a priority - the shareholders come first.  

Fat Shaming Week - can you believe it!?

Such a great idea (not) and women are responding to it with both wit and anger.

http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/10/12/womens-rights-fat-shaming-week?cmpid=tpnews-eml-2013-10-18-FatShaming


Here's what Naomi Wolf has to say:

What do you have to say?