Plastic Surgery is a Short-Term Fix That Leads to Bigger Issues
Plastic Surgery is a Short-Term Fix That Leads to Bigger Issues
By Viola Woolcott
Maybe you have spend hours on end scrutinising the size of you nose, the width of your hips, or even the mole on the back of your arm and not to forget those feet. Don’t they drive you crazy? Most of us have a much harder time when it comes to accepting what we were born with. We are all our own worst critics when it comes to our bodies and we are all quite good at pointing, being obsessed as well as preoccupied with our own “physical blemish”.
Researchers report that 35 % of women have negative thoughts about their bodies at least 6 times (if not more) a day. In another journal a report was published that 75% of U.S. students were worried with the way they looked, with the appearance of parts of their bodies, where another 30% claim that they were preoccupied with their concerns.
It is not surprising that women that are so concerned with their looks suffer from low self-esteem and low self-esteem is linked to symptoms of anxiety, depression as well as obsessive-compulsive-disorder (OCD). Accepting your body as it is and feeling good about your body is essential for feeling good about yourself to lead a happy and fulfilled life.
An increasing number of people opt out for plastic surgery as a way to boost their body image and nearly any physical “imperfection” on your body can be “fixed” and that is of course for a price.
More and more Americans turn to surgery to boost their self-confidence, they also want to be more competitive as professionals as well as to find friends. According to the ASAPS (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery), Americans spend well over $12 billion on cosmetic plastic surgery in 2005, which doesn’t even include reconstructive procedures. They have also spend $11.5 million on cosmetic surgery, which is double the amount done in 2000. The fastest growing groups turning to surgery to improve their bodies are young college students. With 55% of women and 52% of men approving of plastic surgery it is becoming more popular and increasingly acceptable.
Loving you body is very important and of the many who choose it, plastic surgery may serve to improve self-esteem, but it is a short-term “fix” that leads to a bigger issue. Five years down the road from now for instance, a facelift will inevitably have new wrinkles and if your lifestyle isn’t changed at the same time, liposuction will not keep the excess fat away.
Reality looks different! Regardless of how many procedures someone has gone through, they will always find another “imperfection”… unless they accept and “learn” to love themselves and their body.
Instead of disliking every new line, and each new little wrinkle on your face, welcome, and embrace them for all of the memories they have made. Replace the longing to be unrealistically thin by changing your lifestyle. Support your health. Enjoy every bodily curve it creates. Stop faulting, blaming yourself for your grey hair, your big nose, wobbly arms. Be proud of the fact that all of these things make you the person that you are, they make you unique.
Research has proven that a negative body is draining and it has been found that it contributes to:
>> Suicidal behaviour as well as thoughts
>> Distress and sexual preoccupation
>> Depression
>> Anxiety
>> Disassociation - distancing of self
>> Blocking out emotions as a “coping” mechanism
>> Post traumatic stress disorder
Imagine loving yourself! Let go of the negativity, the shame and criticism. You got nothing to loose. A positive body will boost your self-esteem and your sense of well-being, peace and happiness.
Filed under: Mind | Body | Spirit on January 23rd, 2008
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