Your Body Image

I have been thinking about body image a lot lately and what I have begun to realise is that how people deal with their body image is sectioned off into three groups: “The Happy”, “The Openly Insecure” and the “In The Closet Insecure”.

“The Happy” are those that have a good self image of themselves and do not let others thoughts or opinions affect that.  You are either born this like or you have worked hard in order to attain and maintain this self image.  Either way, it is the best frame of mind to be in.

“The Openly Insecure” are those that let others opinions affect how they feel about their own body image.  As a side effect to this, by accepting other’s insults and allowing that to factor into the way they think about themselves, they can also develop a “not good enough” complex. 

I spent about twenty five years in the not good enough complex so I know how this feels.  It is a feeling that creeps back into your life sometimes and so I always keep an eye out for it and mentally whack myself around the head when I feel like that.

The “In The Closet Insecure” are those that use their own insecurities about their own body image as a weapon against others whom they perceive look “worse” than they do.  This can come out in the pure insult form, which is essentially boils down to “I’ll hurt you before you hurt me” or alternatively comes out in the form of anger. 

It was this anger that confused me for a good while until I realised that that it wasn’t anger at all.  It was jealousy. 

The “In The Closet Insecure” person sees someone who may be larger than they are, or someone who they think is less attractive and if this person looks confident and happy in their own skin then their anger is immediately provoked. 

How do they have the audacity to feel better about themselves than I do?  I look better than them; why do they look happier than I do?  Their base line of thinking is that they cannot stand someone who is secure in their own self image when they perceive them to be “worth less” in their eyes than they are.  Confused by what they see, they hurl anger and abuse; trying to bring the other person down to the same state of misery as their own; not that will ever admit that.

When it comes down to it, bad body image is learned behaviour. 

No baby is born thinking that it is not good enough to be around others.  No child thinks that she/he is ugly until someone else tells them they are.  Until they socially interact with others, nobody ever links their weight to how they should be treated as a person.

I still remember when I was a little girl, watching my mum get ready to go with my dad on a Saturday.  As I watched her, I didn’t judge her against anyone else or think about how society thought that she ought to look.  She was just my mother and I thought (and still do) she looked beautiful.

I think that one of the most important things that you can teach a child when growing up is that they need to find their own sense of self.  To rely on what they think about themselves rather than letting others define who they are and what they should look like.

The question that we need to constantly ask ourselves is not “What do others think of me” but “What do I think of me”.  Because the answer to that question is all that really matters.

How being healthy affects your health insurance

There have been ongoing debates among people, healthcare providers, and insurance companies about the cost of insurance and the rates in which people pay depending on their lifestyle. While some feel that it is not fair to charge higher rates for people with certain habits that could be detrimental to one’s health in the long run, others feel that everyone, regardless of their lifestyle and habits, should pay the same price. This article will identify some lifestyle choices that could cause your insurance premiums to increase and how being healthy can lower your insurance rates.

Weight

If you are considered medically overweight or obese either by choice or caused by illness, you have a higher chance of experiencing a serious health condition such as a stroke or heart attack. Because this could be a great expense for the health care provider, as well as yourself, the insurance company will need to charge you a higher premium as it will cost them more to insure you. If you are in this situation, there are resources to assist in helping you get on track to getting healthier and being more active. Making small changes such as taking a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood every evening, can make a big difference.

Since we got my little Simba, I have been taking him a walk every day and I noticed over the weekend that my clothing had gotten looser. I never weigh myself as a rule as I refuse to be number obsessed, but on checking the scale to what I remembered I had been last, I had lost half a stone.

Drinking alcohol

If you love to drink alcohol after a stressful day at work and you do so on a regular basis, this could create health problems for you in the long run. Alcohol can greatly affect organs in your body, such as the liver, which can be costly to repair. Again, insurance companies will need to take a greater financial risk to insure you and therefore they will pass that extra expense on to you as the patient.

Smoking.

For years research has demonstrated that smokers have a higher chance of experiencing lung cancer, gum cancer, asthma, or emphysema due to consistent smoking. While these ailments can cost you your life, they also cost the insurance company a great deal to provide you coverage. While your health insurance premiums may be more expensive because you are a smoker, there are ways in which you can remedy this issue. Many health insurance companies have teamed up with health care providers to offer smoking cessation programs to help you reduce and even quit the habit of smoking. Some of these programs are even free and do not cost you anything but your time and effort.

The reason that these lifestyle choices could cause an increase in health insurance costs is that they can potentially cause the patient to need medical care that would otherwise most likely not be needed if they were not participating in these identified unhealthy activities. As the cost of care increases, the cost of insurance will also increase. If you are concerned about the cost of healthcare insurance, there are resources to assist you in making a positive change. When you begin to live a healthier lifestyle, you can check in with your insurance company, here and request a new quote without a problem.


*Collaborative piece

Score With Your Credit

Saving is something that we all strive to do.  Whether you are saving for someone's birthday treat, a holiday or in my case, saving for my future move; we all have times in our life when we try to actively save.

When you are living from payday to payday, trying to save and conserve your money can be challenging, but there are a few tips that I have picked up over the years that can really help, while still letting you enjoy a few things that you enjoy.

You Don't Need To Cut Out That Treat Coffee

Coffee is life.  For me anyway.  The idea of the cheap ground coffee that we have in the office makes me shudder.  I NEED real coffee.  But can I justify the daily trip to Starbucks?  No.  The £3-4 pounds a day I would, and have, spent in the past would be better placed in my savings than wasted on a temporary coffee hit.

One way to work around this is to buy your own fresh coffee and a one cup cafetiere and take them to work with you.  Get to work ten minutes earlier and you can make your coffee without the boss complaining of the extra time involved and you can start your day with a delicious coffee hit.

Cashback on your Purchases

We all love shopping and sometimes, even when you limiting your clothing and shopping budget, you may need to replace your favourite makeup product or buy a necessary kitchen appliance.

I have signed up to a site called TopCashBack which gives you cashback on online purchases.  Yesterday I wrote about the makeup products I use and one of them is Benefit Dandelion Powder , which is currently on sale in LookFantastic.  You can get up to 10% cashback on that site and the cash can surprisingly really build up.

Use a Piggybank

I have a long pink boot shaped piggy bank that I throw my spare change in.  The thing about piggy banks is that they are very tempting at the end of the month to break into when you are short on cash.  
The way that I combat that is to only save certain denominations of coins so that you would need a lot to make a difference.  I only save copper and 5, 10 and 20 pence pieces so that it does not tempt me to dip me.  

Having a larger piggy bank means that you can save for longer and get a nice surprise when you take it to be changed.

Keep An Eye On Your Credit Score

If you have a poor credit rating like me (damn carefree shopping years), it is important to keep an eye on your credit score and work hard to improve it.  You can check for free these days and it can really help in improving score.

Things to work on are not necessarily the bigger balances that you need to pay off.  I always used to focus on paying off the bigger balances and paying a minimal amount on the smaller ones.  But paying off those smaller ones can help to improve your score so bear that in mind.

Hope the tips help, happy saving!