5 Tips for Embracing Body Confidence in Your Everyday Life

Like fashion trends, the accepted standard for a person’s physical beauty can change with time. Nowadays, people no longer hesitate to honor different body types, shapes, and proportions, knowing that these have all had their day in the spotlight throughout human history.

Still, it can sometimes be quite difficult to be comfortable in one’s own skin. Our attitudes and views of others’ bodies may be quicker to change than our own impulses to be self-conscious and self-critical. Some people also have a hard time disassociating themselves from pejorative words that were habitually used in relation to their own bodies or other people’s bodies as they were growing up. Reasons like these can make it a challenge to embrace and celebrate wider notions of beauty and beauty positivity.

If this issue has been on your mind for some time, remember that undoing harmful notions of your own body image and becoming more confident in your own body may be a long process that requires both patience and consistent practice. The resulting happiness, self-assurance, and kindness towards both yourself and others, however, will be worth it. Here are some of the things that you can do every day to be able to exude body confidence and appreciate your body better:

Use Positive Affirmations of Yourself

First, don’t hesitate to express your love for your body and the way you look by using your words. For example, if a pair of leggings for women makes you look and feel great, say so even if there’s no one in the room but you. When checking out whether an outfit suits you, compliment what works before dwelling on what doesn’t.

It’s not unusual for people to zero in on what they see to be negative aspects of their appearance, as well as their character. You won’t be turning a blind eye to the things that ultimately don’t work for you by giving yourself positive affirmations whenever they’re due. Think of this exercise as one that acknowledges that it’s not all bad, and use it as a stepping stone to finding things like clothes that work better for you than others.

Aim for Better Health and Body Functionality

Remember that your body is both a beautiful and a functional thing. Aside from finding your way to an idea of what’s truly aesthetically pleasing to you, it’s also a must to appraise your body for what it’s capable of accomplishing.

If you go to the gym to lose weight, for instance, don’t just focus on the scale. Rather, be mindful of how exercise has improved your health and ability to keep up with physically demanding activities. The same can be done if you’re changing your diet for the better. If you’re able to accomplish something that you think is a feat, appreciate your body for going through the process and acknowledge what it’s capable of doing.

Pay attention to the holistic result of your efforts to exercise and eat healthily, and congratulate your body for adapting well to the good habits you’ve gotten into. This will allow you to cultivate a healthy and nourishing perspective on your body, which will do wonders for your overall well-being as well as your body confidence.

Understand That Your Body is Constantly Changing

Change is normal to the human body. Your body’s appearance, shape, composition, and capabilities, among others, can be affected by all sorts of situations, events, and activities. Your physique as a teenager was quite different from how it is now that you’re a working professional or a parent. It can be annoying and costly to revamp your wardrobe because of these changes but don’t hold it against your body.

Instead of focusing on what you feel are the negative aspects of this transformation, try to be more in tune with your body and the forces that drive the changes you’re experiencing at the moment. Among other things, if you’re feeling healthy and everything seems to be in working order, perhaps try to welcome the process of change. This way, you can be more in tune with your body and appreciate it for all it’s gone through with you.

Stop Comparing Yourself to Other People

It’s of course easier said than done, but try to get out of the habit of comparing yourself with people you aren’t—including, in some cases, your past self. Comparing yourself will only lead to feelings of dissatisfaction or resentment towards your body and what you currently have.

Don’t forget that you are uniquely you and that this is something worth valuing in and of itself. Your body may have afforded you certain advantages when you were young, but you can say the same for the body you have today. Focus on personal strengths and positive experiences that relate to your body instead of looking constantly at what others have or what you used to have.

Learn to Identify and Avoid Negative Messaging

Negative messaging refers to both verbal and non-verbal communication that aims to cause conflict by dispersing inaccurate or harmful information. If someone tries to diminish the value of people who have bodies that don’t fit classical beauty standards, for example, recognize the effects of such statements.

Likewise, try to reflect on whether there were instances in your life where you were tempted to contribute to negative messaging. Make an active effort to curb these habits for both yourself and others. When you catch yourself talking badly about your body, try to think about what would happen if you said the same things about your friends and loved ones.

If you don’t like what you hear, don’t say the same thing to bring yourself down—or, if the statement comes from a place of truth, like your own desire to improve your physical health and emotional well-being, use constructive messaging instead of negative messaging with yourself.

With constant practice, you’ll have an easier time developing a more body-positive and body-confident perspective. Try the tips above to bolster your body confidence, and work on surrounding yourself with people who are open to becoming more confident and loving of their bodies as well. Body positivity and body confidence thrive in a community, so consider working with your peers and loved ones to achieve a balanced view of yourselves, your bodies, your capabilities, and your worth as human beings.