Paying Attention To Your Physique Is Not Superficial, It Is A Sign Of Good Mental Health

On many occasions, a strong interest in personal care and aesthetics is associated with something cold and superficial,  leaving out things that are usually considered “deep” or interesting to analyze.

This is showing great ignorance, because paying attention to our physique – without obsessing over it – is to treat our well-being in a holistic way. To feel good on the inside, we also have to feel good on the outside.

On top of all this,  the relationship with our physique can mark a before and after in our life:  feeling beautiful or beautiful, no matter what we are, is a sign of good mental health.

We care about our hygiene, our fragrance or the harmony and beauty of our body is not superficial, it is a sign that we love ourselves.

Aesthetics and personal care are our allies

Who has never heard the phrase: “All great changes must be accompanied by a change of image”?

It’s a somewhat banal and popular phrase, but it contains its share of reason.

Sometimes people feel like they want to make a drastic change, yet they don’t know what to do about it.

They lack the inspiration or the means, but not the desire.

This is why a physical change can give rise to the inspiration and the impetus to make a different kind of decision or to undertake a different kind of routine. 

It is well known in the oncology department of many hospitals: it is already established as an adjuvant treatment the fact of being able to counteract the effects of chemotherapy on the physical appearance of patients in beauty salons.

The preoccupation with the physical and the aesthetic as an ally in the treatment of cancer

It is always said that in these cases health is paramount and that the person with cancer should fundamentally focus on getting over it.

One should really ask oneself if those who say such things have already had this experience and if they know the true meaning of health as a global concept.

Do they know what a mastectomy means for a woman, or for any man or woman, to suddenly lose hair, eyebrows, or suffer from dry skin?

Just as we should not judge how to cope with the physical symptoms of the disease, each person has a different strategy for dealing with  the cosmetic changes that the disease can bring. 

This is why for some, showing the effects of the disease naturally without trying to cover them up is not a very important issue.

For other people, what is natural is to counteract these effects by achieving through various techniques that their physical appearance does not reveal the medical battle they are engaged in. It’s a different way of dealing with illness.

There is a truly inspiring story related to this topic. In 1988, Dr. Brinkenhoff’s wife, Gayle, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

As she moved through this complex physical and emotional process, Michael wanted to help Gayle see herself and feel better.

As a result, in 2006, he developed an innovative cosmetic brand to get women with cancer to use products to grow their eyelashes and eyebrows.

This is an example that shows how aesthetics are not only a cold and superficial matter, but also in many cases reflect the struggle and the urge to move forward.

It is not a good sign to stop taking an interest in your physical appearance

There is an important correlation between neglecting your appearance and the severity of some psychopathological disorders.

Without going any further, one of the signs that worsens the prognosis of many emotional problems is to lose interest in your physical appearance.

Regarding depression, there is a generalized loss of interest in activities that previously aroused it.

An anhedonia towards what goes on in life, an inability to obtain pleasure or the inability to enjoy it.

It is no wonder that the pleasure of looking at yourself in the mirror is not reflected in the attitude of a depressed person.

It’s not about how much time someone can spend taking care of their skin or their figure.

It’s about the pleasure of looking at yourself and feeling good, regardless of whether you wear makeup or not.

The person who loses interest in their life also loses looking at themselves and feeling good.

The difference between feeling trapped in aesthetics and enjoying it

Your physical aspect accepts and is grateful for the attention you are going to give it, provided that it comes from a desire and not from a constraint.

As with most questions, there is a fine line to separate what is pathological from what is not.

Taking care of your physical appearance and making it a priority in your life is totally respectable and even beneficial.

On the other hand, feeling the pressure and anguish if one does not fit well with a model of perfection and doing everything possible to achieve it can lead to harmful consequences.

You can compulsively spend large sums of money and think you are never perfect enough for others.

You can come to measure your personal worth based on your weight and your appearance, and that, of course, is going over that line.

The dysmorphic disorder is a psychological disorder that makes a person unable to lead a normal life because of a real or imagined defect.

The person spends countless hours checking their physical appearance and may end up undergoing a large number of treatments and surgeries without ever feeling satisfied.

There is an increase in this disorder, which presents itself more and more in minors, due to the growing influence of advertising and Internet access.

The most important thing to feel good about yourself is not to pay attention to external models.

Start from our own image, visualize our body without judging it and decide to find out what we want to improve in our body compared to the way we feel at all times.

Some times it would be about improving what we see, and other times, the relationship with which we see.

It is always important to remember that nothing happens in isolation and that body and mind are also one in the mirror reflection.

Don’t feel bad wanting to see a better reflection and remember that a smile is an accessory and a perfect ally to achieve this.