3 Ways to Take Control of Your Body and Stop Letting Others Take Advantage of You

Navigating the world can be difficult for marginalized people. Women have often encountered at least a few situations where their gender comes with significant downsides. One of the things that are trained into us from an early age is to acquiesce to the wishes of others around us. This can make it hard to live as an independent person given how much control others have over us. It’s high time this changed, however, so here are three ways to take control of your body and stop letting others take advantage of you.

Decide on a Personal Bubble and Aggressively Defend It

The “personal bubble” refers to an area of space around your physical self that others are not generally allowed to enter. Plenty of aggressive people will try to do so. This is clearly unacceptable, but many find it hard to push back against it. Clearly and concisely demand that anyone invading your space move away from you. No reason needs to be given as the act of setting a boundary should be respected in and of itself.

Get Second Opinions

The world of medicine is dominated by men. Whether it is conscious or unconscious, bias is a pervasive part of the field for this reason. One way this manifests is the phenomenon of women being misdiagnosed or outright dismissed in their concerns. One of the most serious and common missed diagnoses is cancer. If you think you’ve been misdiagnosed, don’t pursue treatment, as this can hurt you. Instead, seek a second opinion on the issue. If a doctor refuses to order tests, request that your doctor document this refusal on the charts. This can help to document and provide accountability later down the line.

Practise the No

One of the most liberating experiences is learning to say the word “no” freely. Women are often trained from an early age to keep their wants and needs secondary to those around them, so unlearning this and being able to reply to things with a simple and concise “no” is necessary for gaining true independence. “No” is a complete sentence all its own, meaning you can use it without having to create a “good explanation” for why you don’t want to do something or won’t give something a chance. This is all easier said than done as you’ll likely know, so practising it is important. It’s not always easy living as a woman in the world. Asserting your independence can often be a challenge, but following these three tips for gaining control of yourself can help to make that a bit easier over time.

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