We live in a world where admiring others is upfront and personal, we see the best of others through their Instagram feed and frown upon ourselves for being less than perfect, less admirable, less beautiful… just less.
So, loving the body you have right now? Really? How do you love and embrace the “warts and all” when all you can see (and feel!) is the disappointing result of too much comfort food?
Recent studies have shown that women are desperate to stop feeling self-conscious about their bodies. Here’s the thing, you are one of seven billion perfectly imperfect humans and it’s time to see your body as beautiful and valuable, right now! Channel the awesome attitudes of actresses like Melissa McCarthy and Chrissy Metz.
Even Megan Trainor’s catchy tune All About That Bass celebrates women of all shapes with lyrics like “Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top.”
Self-acceptance is liberating.
We have a few tips on how to love the body you have right now:
- Reframe your thinking. Focus on health and fitness, rather than aesthetics.
- Appreciate all that your body can do – running, dancing, breathing. Beautiful!
- Give up the need for approval from others. “You can be the juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be people who hates peaches” – Dita von Teese.
- Be gentle with yourself. Set time aside every day to do something for yourself. Listen to music, or simply enjoy the sunset.
- Choose not to focus on specific body parts. See the whole person.
- Keep a gratitude journal. Have you inventoried the richness of your life assets? Keep a top ten list of things that you like about yourself, things that aren’t related to how much you weigh or what you look like.
- Make a list of people that you admire. Are they all supermodels? (We bet they’re not!) Your list will most likely be full of smart, confident, creative people. Aren’t you a couple of those things yourself?
- Be an inspiration to others.
- Ooze confidence. Smile and project a positive vibe. Always!
- Recognize that beauty, health and strength, come in all shapes and sizes. Search for fashion bloggers with diverse bodies. They’re amazing and so are you!
- Surround yourself with people who love you.
- Dress for success. A fit and healthy body is the best fashion statement.
- Learn more. Take a class to boost your confidence.
- Do for others.
“There’s nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty” – Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience.
Source: www.shape.com, www.johnriviello.com, experiencelife.com, growinghumankindness.com, www.theolivefox.co.uk, www.healthyweightnetwork.com, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org, www.bustle.com, aalwomanstalk.com, www.gurl.com, books.google.co.za, www.womanshealthmag.com, www.lifehack.org, www.huffingtonpost.com, galadarling.com, tinybuddha.com, www.positivityblog.com, www.mindbodygreen.com, www.psychologytoday.com, www.worldofwanderlust.com
