It’s not abnormal to feel down about how you look, one peer into the mirror, and your once positive morning takes a quick turn. Nobody feels confident all the time and nobody always loves their body and how they look so it’s okay to feel these emotions.
However, it’s not okay to dwell on them and think you're not beautiful for not looking like an ultra-thin runway model (who by the way have personal trainers, dietitians, and specialists to look that way!)
1. Realize social media… isn’t what it seems
First things first, you need to realize that social media isn’t real.
Angles, photoshop, and filters are exactly what you're looking at, not a real body. Society creates these unrealistic expectations for women to look a certain way and if you don’t, then you're deemed not attractive and it does take a toll on your mental health.
You need to snap out of this illusion that we are all believing that what we see is real, it’s not. These social media models we see are on strict diets, training sessions and have edited the photos they post.
Slowly but surely, society is becoming more body positive and more “real” photos of body diverse individuals are surfacing our timelines.
2. Stop comparing yourself
It’s easy to look at somebody and think “Wow, why don’t I look like that?” and, although it’s a natural thought, it’s unhealthy to constantly compare yourself, it ruins your self-confidence.
You need to remember that everybody’s body types and shapes are different and that falls under a lot of factors like genetics and lifestyle. Don’t compare yourself to others because everybody is different and that includes you!
3. Don’t force change
There will be that menacing voice in your head telling you that you don’t need another bite or you need to get in better shape, don’t listen to it. Don’t force change just because of society's unrealistic standards and expectations that they force on everybody at such a young age.
You don’t need those unhealthy diets. You don’t need to do that workout that promises it’ll get you abs in a week.
The world likes to market off people's insecurities and you don’t need to listen to them because you are already perfect in your own way!
4. Dress out of your comfort zone
Perhaps you’ve always been insecure about one particular thing about your body, well it’s time we change that!
Next time you're out shopping and looking through those racks of clothes, pick up an item that you’ve always wanted to rock but never had the confidence to. It’ll boost your confidence when you put it on and realize... that you look stunning!
I never wore crop tops until about a year ago because I was always a little body conscious but now half my closet is filled with them. All it takes is one small push forward and you’ll feel so much happier with yourself.
5. Get rid of toxic influences
Everybody feels insecure and that’s a fact but what baffles me is how people can go around and discriminate against other people's “flaws”? You absolutely do not need negative people in your life telling you things about your body that make you feel bad.
There's no need to boost yourself if you are lowering someone's self-esteem and causing them to feel self-conscious.
As soon as I got out of a toxic environment that was filled with people who regularly made me feel small, I became so much more confident within myself. Try to avoid people who you know are toxic and constantly make you feel bad, you don’t need to put up with that.
6. Think it, then believe it
My best advice for body positivity is to fake it till you make it.
You need to think about all the positives about yourself and your body. When you keep this mindset going for a certain amount of time, you’ll start to believe it!
Wake up and keep telling yourself that you look amazing and you're feeling positive about your appearance today (even if you aren’t feeling the slightest bit confident). You will, indeed, see a change in your confidence in no time.
Once you get this mindset, you’ll start to see that even though you don’t look like the models, you don’t need to because you're already looking amazing!
7. Gradually get further out of your comfort zone
Now that you're getting there with confidence it’s time to do those things you never felt confident enough to do. Maybe summer's approaching and you're completely dreading showing some skin at the beach.
It’s time to push those boundaries your mindset and go rock that swimsuit you loved but never wanted to buy because of your lack of body confidence. The more confidence you have within yourself, the less worried you’ll be about what you look like.
It’s a matter of simply not caring. Go out and wear that dress you’ve been tossing and turning about wearing and don’t listen to what anybody tells you (unless it’s compliments of course!)
You only have one body and it’s going to be sticking with you for your entire life so you need to learn to love and appreciate it because it’s nobody else's but your own.
There's nothing wrong with being body-conscious, but if you let those thoughts take over and interfere with your life, then that becomes another problem that you don’t need. Stop letting people judge you and stop judging yourself.
Work on becoming the confident young inspiring person you know you can be and love every inch, roll, and curve you have!
