Learning how to love your body is a process. As a young girl, I struggled a lot with body image. And I know I’m far from alone in this, especially nowadays.
I mean, how could we not struggle with body image? In a time where we are just starting to get to know who we are, we’re constantly being bombarded with images of flawless women who promote unrealistic ideals.
Magazines, social media, television – beautiful women are everywhere. And don’t get me wrong, I’m all for supporting and encouraging beautiful women.
But the reality is, most of the images we see today aren’t even real. They’re Kardashian filters and airbrushed skin.
So when we’re up against that, how can we even compete?
How can you learn to love your own body?
How to love your body? It starts with this – stop comparing yourself to others! Just because someone else is beautiful doesn’t make you any less beautiful. You are be beautiful too!
And stop looking at unrealistic versions of women who don’t really exist. Similarly, stop judging other people’s bodies.
Each body is unique and each body is different – and they are all beautiful!
And once we stop focusing so much on others, then we can start focusing more on ourselves. Start with positive affirmations in the mirror.
Find something you love about yourself and reassure yourself how beautiful it is. Then, start reassuring yourself about things you don’t love so much.
Because even the things we don’t love are beautiful – they tell a story and make us unique.
A lot of mothers have stretch marks, for example. Lots and lots of stretch marks. The have stretch marks on their legs, on their butt, on their stomach.
But these stretch marks are the story of love that they have for their child. Each stretch mark grew along with their babies.
They might not be ideal, but they are part of their story – a story that they wouldn’t change for the world.
I’m starting to get lots of wrinkles around my eyes. To some, these might give away my age. But to me, each of these wrinkles represents a battle that I overcame.
They represent memories of beautiful times. They represent the memories that I have with my mother and how proud she’d be in the person I’ve grown up to become myself.
Yes, they are a sign of aging, but why is that such a bad thing? I’m honored to have the chance to age – it’s an honor a lot of people miss out on.
What story do your imperfections tell?
How can you be kind to your body?
Part of learning how to love your body is treating your body with love and respect. Here are some things that you can do to show your body some love:
- Eat healthy, nutritious meals.
- Work out and stay fit.
- Rest.
- Listen to what your body needs and respond accordingly.
- Stop judging yourself.
- Do things that make you happy.
- Spend some time in nature.
- Take care of your pearly whites.
- Moisturize your skin daily.
- Go for a massage.
- Stay hydrated.
- Use high-quality makeup.
- Wear sunblock – even in the winter.
- Practice mediation.
- Practice deep breathing.
- Be more mindful.
- Laugh louder and more often.
- Try yoga.
- Give more hugs.
- Dress to impress.
How does body image affect your self-esteem?
Body image and self-esteem have a direct influence on one another. When you have self-esteem, you accept your body for what it is. When you don’t, your body image probably lacks.
Similarly, when you feel good about your body image, your self-esteem is boosted. If you are feeling down on your body image, your self-esteem is probably low too.
So let’s all aim for a healthy body image. Let’s all take care of our bodies and be proud of everything that they can do.
And let’s give ourselves the self-esteem that we deserve to pursue all of our goals and dreams in life!
How to love your body image?
Loving our bodies can be hard, but we can all do it. Here are some tips to help you love yourself more:
- Appreciate everything that your body can do. Our bodies can walk, they can dance, they can breathe, they can laugh – when you think about all of the wonderful things your body can do, it’s pretty impressive!
- Remind yourself that beauty is a state of mind, not an outward appearance. If you were to ask 100 men what the most attractive thing about a woman is, a good majority would probably tell you “confidence.”
So rock what your mama gave you, and you will naturally feel more beautiful! - Surround yourself with positive people. If you are around people who are constantly pointing out your flaws or bringing you down, you’re not going to feel very confident in yourself either.
Remove toxic people from your life and focus on people who make you feel good about yourself. - Shut down the voices in your head. “Your ugly.” “You’re not good enough.” Shut these voices down. Immediately. Every time a voice like this pops into your head, shut it out.
Replace it with “I am beautiful.” “I am good enough.” Eventually, you will begin to believe yourself. - Be critical of social media. Not everything you see on social media is real. In fact, most of it isn’t. So stop comparing yourself to unrealistic body images and start focusing on real-world beauty.
And finally, do something nice for someone today. When we do nice things for other people, we feel better about ourselves.
So buy a stranger a coffee. Tell someone they’re beautiful. Let someone with full hands cut in front of you in line.
Little acts of kindness go a long way, and they’ll help you in your journey to loving yourself and loving your body too.
Read more:
25 Affirmations for Self-Love to make your life happier.
Respecting yourself will boost your Happiness.
Self-empowerment and how you can achieve it!
Inner Beauty and some Practical Ways to Achieve it.
Looking for more on how to love your body image? Check out these inspiring Ted Talks:
