Watching your body change as you age can be stressful. It can be taxing, and cause some insecurity. While there is nothing inherently wrong with trying to look your best, you should be aware of how you speak to yourself and about yourself, especially if you have a daughter.
Why is that relevant? Well, children, teens, and young adults are all subject to the challenges of self-love. Women and girls are especially more susceptible to the appearance-related societal pressures that can cause body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and a lack of self-confidence. In these circumstances, girls often look to their mothers for guidance regarding how to treat their bodies, how to talk about their bodies, and how to walk with the body they have been given.
Talking with Positives
As you age, perhaps you notice yourself using self-deprecating humor to shade any insecurities you might be dealing with. While that might feel relatively harmless, speaking poorly about yourself, even with a humorous intent, can have lasting effects on your daughter. You have the opportunity to lead by example, to show her how to love herself no matter what phase her body is in. This begins by speaking well about your own body. Sure, you might not love everything about aging, but if you can find a few silver linings to focus on, you can really make a difference in your daughter’s foundation of self-image.
Treating your Body Well
You can take care of your body in a way which embraces restoration and anti-aging practices while being pro-age. For example, eating well, using products designed for mature skin, and getting a bit of exercise everyday is a great way to practice actionable steps in the name of self-care. When you treat your body well, you teach your daughter how to treat her body well. Thereby, you can help your daughter with her own confidence as she navigates her own aging challenges.
Walking Tall
Perhaps you have to “fake it till you make it,” but walking with confidence is another way in which you can inspire your daughter to feel comfortable in her own shoes. You have the opportunity to be a role model for your daughter. You can help her realize her own beauty, her own potential, and her own power simply by embracing your own.
With the normalization of photoshop, the access to unhealthy imagery and toxic beauty standards, many girls struggle with body related insecurities well into adulthood. While you should talk to your daughter about these unrealistic standards, you can also show what it means to embrace aging. Over the span of a lifetime, our bodies are constantly changing. Learning to love the body you’re in at every age is essential to a happier, healthier lifestyle. Be that person for your daughter, and for the future generations to come. Embrace your aging with patience and grace and you will help her establish a foundation to do so as well.