Tune in to Your Own Channel
From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Friday, October 30, 2009

Think you'll never look like actress Angelina Jolie? You won't. Believe me — Angelina Jolie doesn't even look like Angelina Jolie in real life! Face it: We're bombarded with images of ideal beauty everywhere — on television, in movies, in magazines, you name it. When we compare ourselves with these unattainable, airbrushed images of perfection, we're always going to come up short. No wonder we pick ourselves apart and get depressed!

The only way out of this trap of negativity is to let go of unrealistic notions of what you should look like. While exercise and diet are key components to healthy living, accepting and loving your body — working with it rather than against it — are important, too.

Take a good, hard look at where your negative feelings about yourself are coming from. Determine what the source is — whether it's the media, judgment from family or friends, or maybe a bad relationship; you have to identify it first before you can begin to let it go. Looking for perfect? Forget perfect — it's boring! Embrace your perceived imperfections (c'mon, they make you unique) and love who you are. It's the only way to move forward.