We all have those down days where we wake up and we already know we’re not having it. However, a bad wake-up or a bad 10 minutes doesn’t need to turn into a bad day.
Body positivity is as much about creating a safe space for others as it is creating a safe space for yourself. It’s recognizing that you deserve to be seen, heard, and known as you are and the rest be damned.
I’m walking you through ten different ways to keep feeling positive today about your body and yourself, even if you’re feeling down.
1. Focus on changing your self-talk.
This is where it all begins. None of the rest of these tips will even make a dent if you’re still talking to yourself in a cruel way. And, truly, we can be the cruelest to ourselves.
Try turning that talk around by practicing what you would say to your 5-year old self. Probably something much kinder and much more gentle. Speaking to yourself in a kind and compassionate way is the first place to start.
2. Find the best in others.
Sometimes, it’s difficult to find what’s good in ourselves because we get stuck on believing we’re the only ones on the planet with cellulite or stretch marks or acne or fat. Truth be told, most of us have all of the above.
If you’re struggling to love it about yourself, take note of someone else. Instagram body positivity accounts are a great place to start. When you start recognizing that the things you hate about yourself you love or appreciate in others, it will be easier to see yourself in the same light.
3. Change around how you perceive your flaws.
I have stretch marks all up and down my stomach from carrying babies. And when I say “all up and down”, I mean my entire stomach. They’re my tiger stripes, my lightning bolts, and my reminder that I made an entire person from blood in my body. Mind-blowing.
Those stretch marks are there because you grew as a person. That cellulite is there because you’re human and dimples are cute. Acne is the body purifying and detoxing itself. Reframe and shift towards something that acknowledges how amazing you are.
4. Get off the scale.
Look, you’re a human, which means your weight will fluctuate. It can fluctuate up to 15 lbs in a single day between eating, drinking, sleeping… you know, being human. If you find yourself glued to the scale and weighing yourself more often than not, throw it out.
At the end of the day, it’s just a number. No number can encompass how great you are. You deserve more than defining your worth by something so small.
Body positivity is as much about creating a safe space for others as it is creating a safe space for yourself. It's recognizing that you deserve to be seen, heard, and known as you are and the rest be damned. Click To Tweet5. Get moving.
The human body is amazing and so much more than a set of certain aesthetics. Take time to exercise for the sake of discovering what your body can do. Movement is so much more than trying to “get fit” to fit yourself into a mental box. It’s about learning to appreciate the phenomenon you are.
6. Set a new goal that has nothing to do with how you look.
Eat well because you want to feel well. Exercise because you want to see yourself do a pull up unassisted or to see how far you can run.
Set goals that have nothing to do with any of it, such as crossing something off of that bucket list or creating a small goal towards that wild, crazy dream. Set your heart to something that helps you realize that you are so much more than whether or not your hair chose today to coorporate.
7. Surround yourself with people who love you.
At the end of the day, we all want to feel loved. We all want a human connection. So, give yourself that, especially now. Surround yourself with friends, family, and loved ones. It can be something simple like hanging out or having a movie night.
8. Get out of your head.
Get outside. Walk around. Go to a museum. Go to a movie. Hell, set up Netflix with one of your favorites. Just do something to get out of your mind because it may not be the best place right now. Getting some space from your own thoughts may be enough to kick your mind back to a positive place.
9. Drop comparison.
I know: easier said than done. In this case, comparison really is your poison. Whether you’re comparing yourself to your friend or to what size you used to fit into 10 years ago, commit to stop comparing right now.
Every time you find yourself comparing, stop and repeat to yourself “I’m great right now in this moment”. It may feel cheesy, but when you focus on repeating it over and over each time, it will come to you naturally.
10. Treat yourself to something nice.
Because you deserve nice things. You deserve good things. It doesn’t have to be anything big. It can be as simple as grabbing your favorite coffee or picking up a new nail polish.
