Overcoming a Physical Flaw
Overcoming a physical flaw or defect can be a huge challenge. When you don’t accept your flaws, they cause shame, shyness, nervousness, feelings of inferiority, etc.
However, feeling inferior at a particular moment doesn’t mean you have an inferiority complex. You don’t have to have an actual physical flaw to develop an inferiority complex, you just have to think you do.
Often, feeling rejected by other people is the cause. Maybe your physical flaw is the cause of the rejection, so that experience leaves a lasting impression on you.
Everyone Has Defects
We all have flaws, whether we’re aware of them or not. Some people see flaws where there aren’t any at all. The important thing in any of these cases is the person’s subjective perception. In other words, the belief that they have some kind of imperfection, whether it’s real or not. This perception is extremely important and can affect you for the rest of your life. Consequently, it’s important to overcome your physical or psychological flaws. These kinds of defects tend to fall into one of the three following categories:
- Physical (ugliness, obesity, being extremely tall or short, sexual impotence, etc.)
- Intellectual (mediocre intelligence, no cultural awareness, etc.)
- Social (lack of kindness, difficulty with words, etc.)
Physical Flaws Can Make You Feel Inferior
If you don’t overcome your physical defect, you might start to feel inferior. And if you feel inferior, you might also feel inhibited and start to avoid other people’s company. As a result, you become timid and unsure of yourself when you’re with a group of people.
Renowned Austrian doctor and psychotherapist Alfred Adler studied this problem in depth. He focused on a system of psychological compensation. He believed that people choose resignation when they feel inferior.
This resignation can lead to modesty, overly shy behavior, insecurity, and inhibition. However, if you don’t resign yourself to the situation, that will lead to “psychological compensations”.
Guidelines for Overcoming Your Physical Flaw
A physical flaw can make you feel inferior, and that’s something that you have to face. However, you shouldn’t let your feelings turn into an inferiority complex.
Here are some practical ways to deal with a physical flaw:
- It’s important to isolate your physical flaw. Just because you have an awful nose doesn’t mean that the rest of your face is completely unattractive.
- Even while you’re thinking about your physical flaw, you also have to consider your positive physical qualities. Maybe you’re short, but you have a nice figure, or your hands are ugly, but your mouth is beautiful.
- You have to highlight the good things about yourself and play down your flaws. Although you shouldn’t try to hide them completely, you can at least make them less apparent.
- Feel free to take advantage of all the makeup and esthetic tricks to overcome a physical flaw. You should know what kind of clothes, shoes, jewelry, and makeup work best for you.
More Suggestions
- You can compensate for your defect with something completely different. For example, if you can’t play sports, maybe your compensation is that you’re good at music and reading.
- Keep in mind that not everything is physical. Human beings are both body and spirit.
- Don’t try to achieve perfection. The point is to completely accept your own flaw and live with it.
- Some physical flaws are curable. Obesity is one of them. If you put forth enough effort and get the proper medical help, you might be able to overcome it.
- Don’t hide the evidence of your flaw. You have to face it, look for solutions, and put them into action. In fact, it’s good to talk about your flaw. Being tight-lipped won’t get you anywhere.
- If you’re on the verge of developing a complex, visit a specialist to get additional advice and guidance about facing your flaws.
As you can see, it’s possible to overcome a physical flaw. All you have to do is appreciate your other virtues and try to minimize it as much as possible. If your problem turns into a complex, the best thing to do is visit a psychologist for tools and guidelines.
