The landscape becomes a riot of colors and the light scents of spring fill the air. Birds begin to sing, the air temperature warms up a little and everything is renewing itself. The crack of bats and smell of leather gloves alert the senses that baseball has one again started! Spring is in full swing and summer is just around the corner. Actually, Summer begins on June 21st, this Friday, around 1:04 am in the morning. While everyone looks forward to not having to bundle up, there are many people who are not fans of summertime.
For many, the thought of shorts, tank tops and flip flops make them not only cringe, but actually depresses them. The person they see in the mirror is not the person that they feel they are on the inside, or worse, they let their mirror dictate who they are. Whether it is a few extra pounds, a bit of age, a scar or physical feature that makes you uncomfortable or the thoughts of the reddish burns that are bound to come as a result of the summer sun, it can be heart wrenching to look in the mirror and feel like everybody else in the world is more attractive and more happy than you are. There’s added pressure simply due to seasonal changes in which some of you may suffer from.
There is no need to despair! Most everyone will tell you, if you asked them that they have a feature or some other perceived deficiency that makes them uncomfortable when wearing some of the barely there fashion that is considered in style in today’s world for summer wear.
Here are a few tips to help you overcome your Pre Summer Blues and have you out there making memories instead of excuses!
- The mirror lies—because we are uncomfortable in our own skin, when we look in the mirror, we see things in a distorted fashion. It has been proven that men and women who are asked to draw a sketch of their general outline get it wrong. They make themselves heavier or shorter than they really are. Now, everyone owns a mirror, and you know that these people have looked into one, yet the image they see staring back at them is not reality.
- What is on the inside truly is more important than what is on the outside.—Ok, ok, so you can not change your perceptions overnight regarding a body you have judged harshly for most of your life, whether it be the shape or age of your body, but you can take a look at all of the wonderful things your body does and how well it does them. Everyday your body remembers to breathe for you, pump your heart, work your internal organs, provide you with ways to express emotion and pain. That is a whole lot for one body to keep up with, yet your body has not failed you yet!
- If all else fails and you are still feeling miserable, choose clothing which is age appropriate, well fitting and in style.– The saying that you feel as good as you look truly has merit and I don’t mean that you have to be gorgeous in order to feel good. Step out the door in stylish clothing which fits your body, not that of the perfect teen next door who has nothing better to do than spend hours on their appearance, but your wonderfully perfect, imperfect body! You have my permission to imagine the model next door has tripped over their perfect feet and fell on their perfect backsides if you like, and have a giggle.
Get out there and have your best summer no matter who you are !
Curt Canada, Board Certified Coach advises clients at Adapting2change in Washington DC. Curt holds recent continuing education from Harvard University School of Medicine in Stress, Anxiety, and Weight Management, along with an MSW from. the University of Iowa and a Masters in Education from the American University.
