Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt.
Different things come to mind in the quest to define what makes a beautiful woman. While some will say it is her outstanding and attractive physical features, others will say the character and charm (inner qualities) make a woman beautiful. What do you think makes you a beautiful woman? Yes, you who are reading this article at the moment!
What Makes a Beautiful Woman?
Beauty is a subjective terminology. It can mean the process through which the various parts like physical appearance, inner strength, charm, skills, passions, and character work together to give a pleasurable outcome.
Usually, we hear tales and watch movies that emphasize inner beauty as the most important virtue to imbibe. Therefore, we pretend that outer beauty does not have a say in the matter. However, this is not how the real-world works; beauty is usually measured by what is seen outside.
Women are usually the target of these beauty stereotypes, where society expects them to look a certain way. If a woman isn’t physically attractive, she is seen as ugly. If she is beautiful, she is seen as an airhead or dull.
Actions of a Beautiful Woman
Using Michelle Obama as a case study, she portrays a beautiful woman outside and in. Despite malicious comments about her physical appearance (color, height, hair, etc.), she remains confident and unstoppable. Michelle is a role model to women in the US and other parts of the world. Her successful career, fashion sense, and elegance are traits to admire.
She Creates Her Definition of Beauty
To feel beautiful as a woman, you must design a beauty prototype that defines what beauty means to you. This should differ from what the world thinks or displays in various beauty magazines. The best model for this design ought to be you.
She Has Control Over Her Mind
Thoughts are very important parts of shaping one’s life. The way you navigate your thought (positively or negatively) will determine the outcome you get. Visualize beauty, and you will be engulfed by this feeling and look it. It is your choice to believe, see, and feel; no one can do that for you.
She is Playful and Smiles Easily
It is not the best idea to take things seriously all the time. Unwind with others and have a good time. This makes you attractive to yourself and the people around you. It also helps to remain beautiful and stay young.
Besides using the best makeup products money can buy, a smile goes a long way. Smiling a lot will make you look younger, beautiful, and attractive.
She Celebrates Her Every Wins
Self-love is a vital virtue every woman should cultivate. Make it a habit to celebrate your achievements no matter how little they are. Do not let them pass uncelebrated if you get a new apartment, car, or job. Take time to treat yourself to something special for your hard work.
She Takes Care of Herself
Eating right and exercising are ways you can take care of yourself to maintain your beauty. Doing these things will help you remain confident with what you have outside and in. Also, having a great fashion sense helps pronounce every minute you care for your body.
Impact of Resilience and Courage on Beauty
Resilience is having the patience and trusting the process of the path you choose. It stems from the things learned from your experiences that no one can take away from you. In the same light, courage can be likened to resilience. Courage is having the confidence or insight of taking action to overcome challenges.
There is nothing more beautiful than a woman who is a fighter and accepts whatever curve life throws without letting it control her. She is proud of how she looks, speaks, thinks, acts, and dares to be herself in whatever gathering or situation she finds herself.
Only you can decide to remain resilient and courageous as no one can do that for you. You can be your best friend or worst enemy; you have to decide which path you would like to thread. Of course, there will be trying times, discouragement, and even self-doubt. However, pushing yourself despite these setbacks makes you more beautiful.
Know when to take risks, constantly remind yourself of your strengths, and entertain discomfort. All of these would help you build the courage and resilience to keep looking beautiful.
Final Thoughts
Own whatever you do, and you will realize that beauty is you, and you are beauty. Being confident in everything can help channel the right (positive) energy.
The moment you look into the mirror and see beauty staring back at you, you become unstoppable. Learn to see how beautiful you are outside, and no one will be able to take it away from you.
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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
“If compassion does not include yourself, it’s incomplete”.
—Buddha
How many times have you been kind to others, and tried to alleviate their sufferings all along neglecting your own suffering?
We, as women have been conditioned and taught since birth to serve others specifically men in this patriarchal society, and we do so all our life. Each of us, serve our fathers, brothers, partners, sons, colleagues, and even strangers. We bend backwards to help others, to be there for everyone, to alleviate their sufferings, and do anything in our power to ease their worries, even if it cost us our peace.
But, What if we offered ourselves the same love and kindness, we strive to offer others?
Could we for once try to be self-compassionate and put ourselves first? Tell me what stops us from being kind to ourselves, watching out for our personal safety, from accepting, embracing, and loving ourselves?
It’s not like we don’t know how to be self-compassionate; we just don’t permit ourselves to be self-compassionate. For some reason, we deem this as an expense rather than a necessity. So, let’s take a look at self-compassion and its components.
What is the essence of self-compassion?
For most of us, self-compassion may seem like a splendour rather than a need — or even an ultra-modern craze for people with an excess of free time on their hands.
In specialist literature, the terms “self-compassion” and “self-love” are often used correspondingly. Having more self-compassion upsurges adaptability and strength when facing tragedy, consenting individuals to recuperate more rapidly from suffering. It also assists you in coping with disappointment, guilt or shame in a more effective manner.
Sbarra and colleagues, portrayal on the work of Prof. Neff, define self-compassion as a concept that consists of three constituents: forgiveness, acceptance, and compassion.
Compassion for oneself – treating oneself with appreciation and forgiveness.
Acknowledgement – accepting the fact that people are imperfect and personal views are a part of the broader human experience.
Emotional equilibrium and the avoidance of over identification with unpleasant emotions – for which mindfulness is recommended.
Identifying Self-compassion
We women have an ocean of love and a valley of care in us, but we do not give a drop of it to ourselves. Most people link self-compassion with being soft and delicate, yet Prof. Neff presents the essence of self-compassion in her book by these strong words that, “self-compassion” maybe both, intense and delicate at the same time. Being delicate with oneself entails “being with” yourself in an accepting manner such as:
Soothing yourself in pain
Telling yourself that you are not alone
Embracing and supporting yourself
Acknowledging pain
Being present with your sorrow
These are all instances of delicate self-compassion.
Taking Action
To relieve suffering is intense self-compassion and it usually entails:
- Safeguarding
- Caring for
- Stimulating one’s well-being
- Setting limits and healthy boundaries to protect yourself
- Saying no without explaining yourself
- Standing up for one’s self
- Doing the things you love unapologetically
The Importance of Self-compassion
“Being supportive and kind to yourself, especially in the face of stress and failure- is associated with more motivation and better self-control”
— Kelly McGonigal
Self-compassion is a great approach to improve both your intrapersonal and interpersonal well-being. You are better equipped to deal with life’s challenges when you are conscious of your suffering. A loving, integrated, and peaceful state of mind and soul helps to lessen behavioral problems while simultaneously improving happiness and purpose in life.
Self-compassion serves as a portable source of companionship and support. In contrast to self-esteem, self-compassion is a reliable ally in both excellent and terrible circumstances. To enhance your capacity to heal, you need to embrace yourself with the same compassion that you’ve been giving to others.
To practice self-compassion, you must treat yourself with the same care and concern that you would show to family, friends, strangers in need. In the face of aversities and failures, you must react with self-forgiveness, kindness, self-compassion rather than harsh self-criticism, understanding that imperfection is a part of the shared human experience.
We all make errors and fail. We all are inadequate at times. Sometimes we can’t help or be there for others even if we want to. No, not because we are selfish but because we are self-compassionate.
Be Self-compassionate
Self-compassion is not an innate trait rather it’s a conscious behavioral practice that grows each time you care about yourself. I hope you practice self-compassion and see the transformative changes in your life. Once you become self-compassionate, you embrace your flaws as beauty and find your true self.
So, promise yourself to be self-compassionate from this moment forward, not because you have to but because you care.