New Survey Says Women Spend 5 Days a Year Self Obsessing
Dec
7Posted in [Miscellaneous], [Nutrition], [Weight], [Women’s Health], [research] By LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir
12/7/2010 10:52 AM
What could you do with an extra five days per year?
You could…
…board a cruise ship and sail from Miami to the Grand Cayman Islands, make a pit stop in Cozumel, Mexico, and drift back to Florida
…fulfill Zsa Zsa Gabor’s community service sentence forslapping a police officer.
…break the Guinness World Record for poker playing.
….find out if you were pregnant 120 hours earlier than your expected period.
Or, according to the results of a recent survey, you could stare in the mirror and make yourself feel like total and complete crap.
Yes, new research reveals that the average woman spends such an inordinate amount of time checking herself out in the mirror that she loses five entire days a year to the habit.
UK television channel QVC Beauty, which interviewed 1,000 women for the survey, also found that nearly 40% of women said they wouldn’t leave the house without makeup, and 19% would rather spend less on food than slash their beauty budget.
These results would be laughable if they weren’t so sad. Our penchant for obsessing over our appearance in the mirror has a name: Body checking. It’s essentially the over-evaluation of one's shape and weight via any number of methods. Do any of these ring a bell for you?
- Looking at yourself in the mirror (to obsess over a body part -- not simple grooming)
- Hopping on the scale numerous times a day to track your weight
- Trying on a piece of clothing to see if you "still fit" into it
- Pinching fat anywhere on your body
- Trying to fit your hands around your waist
- Comparing your figure to other women's, be they celebrities or co-workers
Sound familiar?
Look, we’re not suggesting you avoid mirrors with vampire-like tenacity or leave your house without checking for spinach in your teeth. But five full days of self-obsessing is five days too much.
Here’s a common trick recommended by therapists: Every time you get the urge to check yourself out in a window or the office mirror, say "Stop!" (mentally or out loud even) and move on. Notice how freeing it feels.
Now go get your five days back!
What would you do with five extra days? Chime in below!
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