Most women have experienced body image issues at some point and that’s nothing to put yourself down over.
However, these insecurities and preoccupations should be actively worked on and through so that they don’t leak out into the rest of your life.
Otherwise, they could end up ruining your relationships. Here are the ways your body image issues may be holding you back in love.
1. You’re hiding away and not fully letting your partner in
Because you feel so uncomfortable in your own skin, that affects how you carry yourself in life as a whole. It tends to make you more reserved and even shy because you don’t want to draw attention to yourself and the things you’re insecure about. In relationships, this means that you don’t ever fully let your partner in because you’re afraid of what they’ll see if you did.
2. You’re not letting yourself go so you can be free
When you have body image issues, they tend to preoccupy you to the point that you’re always worried about them. This means you can never fully let go and relax 100%, and that’s not good. We all need a release, and if you’re constantly holding yourself to some impossible standard out of fear, it can distance you from your partner and from yourself.
3. You’re wasting valuable time and energy that could be spent on your relationship
All the time you’re spending focused on your body image issues is time that you could be investing in your relationship and your connection with your partner. Instead of focusing on your cellulite, how much weight you need to lose, and all of the other imperfections you swear are holding you back in life, you should be enjoying your time with the person who cares about you and doesn’t care a bit about all those things you’re hung up on.
4. You’re pushing your partner away with your insecurities
Having body image issues isn’t anything to be ashamed of—it’s pretty common and something we all deal with at some point. However, if your insecurities loom so large that they end up pushing your partner away, that’s a problem. Everyone has insecurities, but if yours are so large and uncontrolled that they lead you to constantly seek validation and to act out when your partner doesn’t offer that, it may be time to seek professional help.
5. You’re not enjoying sex and intimacy
This is probably the most obvious way body image issues affect your relationship is in your sex life. Being too focused on all the things you hate about your body means you’re going to want to have sex with the lights off, keep half your clothes on, and generally be dominated by self-consciousness. Where’s the fun in that?
