domtimothy46176 -> RE: does your body image affect play (3/27/2005 12:05:22 PM)
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Sometimes I think folks have a tendency to obsess on something until it consumes them. I've noticed females can often do this with their physical appearance. When I was younger I used to get obsessed with my height, or more accurately, the lack thereof [;)]. The biggest problem with obsessing about what one sees as in imperfection, especially if it's difficult or impossible to correct, is that it tends to skew one's entire perception of self-worth. Take me, for instance. I'm short. At 5'6", there's really no other way to put it. For an american male in my age group, I fall below the average height. When I was younger, that one fact defined me, in my own eyes. I'm also incredibly good-looking, extremely intelligent and articulate, an awesome top and modest (you'll just have to trust me on that one [;)]). Whatever good qualities I might possess, however, were lost on me until I learned to accept myself as a whole person. I'm still short and expect to shrink as I get older (we all do, due to loss of bone mass) but I've reached a point in my life where I'm happy with who I am. It would be nice to have a few more inches (not ~there~, you perverts [;)]) but being short no longer prevents me from enjoying myself, although it can and sometimes does limit my available choices of partners (their loss *shrug*). This change in outlook didn't happen overnight and it wasn't a smooth, uninterrupted transition, by any means. It can be difficult to break yourself from the habit of internal criticism that I used to engage in and sometimes insecurities can pop up long after you think you're past that point. For me, it took a lot of willpower and determination to overcome my negative self-image, but it was an issue that I knew I needed to face down. The hardest challenge can be accepting that you ~do~ have the power to change how you see yourself. Having folks you respect support you may make the task easier but the impetus must come from within, IMO. "Anything worth having is worth working for." Timothy
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