Your body and you

Have you ever felt the weight of other people’s opinions, as if no matter what you do, you are always different?
Never fashionable enough, never attractive enough, never quite “beautiful” as you wish to be?

But what does “beautiful” even mean? It’s a relative word—one that often changes depending on who’s looking.
And yet, the feeling remains: never enough.

Maybe you recognize yourself in some of these moments:

• You often feel uncomfortable with your body.

• You dislike having your photo taken.

• You feel down when you try on old clothes that no longer fit.

• You feel even worse when you can’t find anything new that suits you.

In moments like these, wouldn’t it feel wonderful to hear a genuine compliment?
Words that say:

• “You look great just like that.”

• “This dress really suits you.”

• “You have a balanced, beautiful figure.”

• “You don’t need to lose weight.”

But how often have you actually heard such words in your life?
Perhaps a few times—from friends, relatives, or even your parents—since your teenage years, when you first became aware of your body.
Maybe since the first time you felt you had to lose a few kilos, and then a few more, until your body began to resist and no longer respond.
Yes, it feels unfair.

We deprive ourselves of pleasure.
We follow strict diets.
We push ourselves to exercise.
And the result? The body rebels, and the weight stagnates, more stubborn than ever.

That’s usually the moment when we can’t take it anymore. We fall into the same cycle—trying again and again, only to end up exhausted.
All we want is to stop for a moment, to breathe, to enjoy something without guilt or deprivation.

At that point, what we need most is kindness. We long to hear supportive words, to feel that our efforts are seen and appreciated.
But we live in a society that values results and rarely acknowledges effort.

So when someone finally says those long-awaited words, does it bring relief?
Often, it doesn’t—because deep down, we expect weight loss or visible change as proof of our worth.
We convince ourselves that these compliments come only from people trying to comfort us because they see us as helpless.
And since they can’t understand what we’re going through, we decide that we can only rely on ourselves.

To keep going, we start looking for motivation in others who seem to have succeeded.
But that too becomes another trap. We begin comparing ourselves to them—and it only makes us feel worse.

We compare ourselves to movie stars, to influencers, to people whose results we see but whose struggles we don’t know.
We forget that they may have completely different lifestyles, metabolisms, or priorities.
Yet we focus on our shortcomings and convince ourselves that we’ll never catch up.

It’s tiring, isn’t it?
Constant comparison leads to exhaustion and rarely to real improvement.

If you still feel weighed down by social pressures around body image, trapped in emotional struggles that seem to grow stronger, it’s time to recognize that comparing yourself to others is not serving you.

So what’s the alternative?
Should you do nothing and accept things as they are? Of course not.

Try this thought experiment:
If you change nothing about your current habits, how do you imagine yourself in five or ten years?
Resignation does not lead to stability—it leads to decline.
Health, nutrition, energy, and emotional well-being all need consistent care to be maintained over time.

If running feels difficult today, in ten years even a short walk might leave you breathless.
If you neglect your self-care now, your discomforts will only grow with time.

It may be hard to read this, but there is good news.

There is another way—a way to free yourself from insecurity and reconnect with your body without trying to fit into anyone’s standards.
This path exists. It took me time to find it, but once I did, I followed it and began sharing it with others.
It is the path of harmony with your own body.

I created a program called “Befriend Your Body” to help guide others along this same path.
It offers a journey of emotional healing and reconciliation with your body—one that allows you to rediscover pleasure, balance, and peace.

If this speaks to you, stay tuned for the next article, where I will explain why comparison is a dead end and how to begin living in harmony with your body, free from social expectations.

Warm regards,
Metamorphosis

By Maya Naddaf