I have struggled with body image issues for a long time. It’s still a struggle to fully accept my body, and I want to feel good in my own skin. Here are 5 ways I’ve been learning to love my body.
- Commitment
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Make it a goal to love your body. Acknowledge you want to change the way you think about your body. You want to be able to have a healthy relationship with your body and feel good about yourself. Wake up every day with this goal in mind and commit to it.
- Cleanse Your Social Media of Negative Influences
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Social media has a way of making us feel bad about ourselves. Skinny influencers or celebrities with perfect bodies are bound to make you feel bad about yourself. One can’t help but draw comparisons to these people. This will make you feel even more unhappy with yourself. Unfollow people that will make you look down on your own body. Maybe follow body positive accounts or accounts with people that have a similar body type as you.
- Form a Healthy Relationship with Exercise
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Exercising is important, and you should do it. But, don’t become obsessive about it and don’t suffer through it. Don’t make it about weight-loss or body-shaping. Do it in a fun, healthy way that focuses on your physical and mental well-being. Exercise does improve your mental state and keeps us healthy. You should exercise to love your body and keep it healthy. Don’t view it as a way to change yourself into something society wants.
- Look at Yourself In the Mirror and List Things You Like About Your Body.
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This isn’t always easy. Sometimes when we look into the mirror, we can often dislike what we see. It’s easier to pick out things we find ugly about ourselves than what we find nice. So, I like to look in the mirror and look at everything I like about my body. Maybe I like my thick thighs, or I like the way I look in a particular outfit. Just try and show yourself some love.
- Turn Your Negative Thoughts Into Positives
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Every once in a while, I’ll feel very insecure about my body. I’ll go ahead and complain about it in my head. So, I like to try reverse psychology. Every time I have a negative thought about my body, I try to turn it around and make it positive. One of my insecurities is my arms. When I’m feeling insecure, I think they are huge and flabby. When this happens, I turn it around and think, “What are you talking about? They look fine! Girl, you’ve got nothing to worry about.” The more you do this, the more you start believing it.