1. When you take a photo, look at the whole picture.
How often do we take a picture and immediately zoom in to check ourselves? Think about group photos: what’s the first thing people do when they look at him? They focus on themselves and their shortcomings. But it is our imperfections that make us who we are. When you take a picture, try to see the whole image – the whole scene. Remember where you were, who you were with, and how you felt. Photos should capture memories, not project fantasies.
2. Remove image editing apps from your phone. Eliminate the temptation!
Striving for perfection can border on obsession. Combining this with social media addiction is a recipe for disaster. Just as it’s good to have no alcohol in the house when you’re on addiction treatment, deleting apps will remove the temptation. Instead, fill your phone with apps to help you get creative. Try to learn a new language, play mind games and listen to interesting podcasts. Take more pictures of your dog. You probably won’t want to change anything in it.
3. Unsubscribe from those who provoke your dislike of yourself.
Follow yourself. If reading fashion magazines keeps you comparing yourself to models, stop reading magazines. Yes, we already know that photos are retouched in magazines, but now similar images are looking at us from social networks. Because they appear in someone’s personal feeds and not in magazines, we often assume they are real. If you constantly feel bad looking at other people’s posts, unfollow. Instead, find people who will inspire you by encouraging self-confidence.
4. Quit social media and dive into the real world.
Behold. Put down the phone. Watch reality: from an 85-year-old walking with a 10-year-old grandson to a couple hugging on a park bench. Look around you to see how diverse, unique and interesting we all are. Life is Beautiful!
5. Next time you take a photo, find one thing about yourself that you love.
We will always find flaws! Move the focus to the good. The next time you take a photo, instead of looking for fixes, look for what you like. If you can’t find anything at first, look at the photo as a whole. Great outfit? Beautiful place? Wonderful people in the photo? Start training your brain to see beauty. It can (and should) start in the mirror. Every day tell yourself that you love yourself, find one reason why. The reason need not be external. Remember, the more we learn to love ourselves, the more love we can give to others.