How to feel confident in your body
In recent years, there has been a lot of publicity around the body positivity movement, encouraging everyone to become more at home with their body as it is rather than focusing on how to change it and what other people look like. It’s not unusual to feel insecure about the way your body looks, but it can have a big impact on your life. Want to become more body confident? Keep reading.
What is body confidence?
There are plenty of definitions for body confidence floating around the cultural zeitgeist, and the truth is that body confidence can mean different things to different people. To put it simply, body confidence is a state of acceptance of the way your body looks. It doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t ever see someone in the street and think ‘I wish my thighs looked like hers’ or ‘I’d love to have clear skin like them’. Body confidence is about having those thoughts, and simultaneously being able to accept and even like the way you look regardless.
Why is body confidence important?
Feeling good feels good, and being able to go to events and enjoy yourself without worrying about how you look or what other people are thinking about you is a big part of that. A lack of body confidence can stem from a range of causes, whether it’s insecurity based on a bad experience in the past, getting back on your feet after medical treatment, or a deeper mental health concern. This can all be exacerbated in the summertime when it’s more common to see people in revealing clothes like bikinis.
Regardless of the cause, overcoming body image issues can help you to spend more time enjoying yourself and less time worrying.
How to build body confidence
The first and most important thing to be aware of if you’re just starting out in trying to grow your body confidence is that there is no quick fix you can employ to change how you feel overnight. Like most self-improvement goals, building body confidence takes time - but it’s more than worth it.
So, how do you do it?
Take it slow
A common suggestion to help build your body confidence is to be more positive about your body - whether that means using positive affirmations, positive self-talk, or just focusing on the parts of your body you like. While it can be helpful to do this, some people with low body confidence can find it really hard to see themselves as beautiful or pretty - and this is where body neutrality can come in handy.
Body neutrality is a position where, instead of saying ‘My tummy is beautiful’, you could say ‘My tummy helps to give me energy and nourishment’. If you find it difficult to say positive things about your body, it may be easier to say simple statements that are factually true, such as ‘my legs get me to where I need to be’. But it’s important to remember that functionality isn’t the only cornerstone of body neutrality - you don’t become less worthy if you’re injured or disabled.
Rather than focusing on the physical, it can be empowering to concentrate on other things about yourself instead, like your personality, intellect, or achievements.
Don’t assume you have to be like everyone else
It can be hard to avoid comparing yourself to others, whether they are your friends and family or strangers you see online or in the street. But when it comes to building confidence, remember you don’t need to do what everyone else is. Feeling self-conscious and preferring a one-piece swimsuit to a bikini? Go for it - always choose the right swimwear for you. Confidence is absolutely what you make of it - and part of that is being happy with your choices regardless of what anyone else might think.
At the end of the day, building body confidence takes practice and the willingness to step outside of your comfort zone. If you can manage those, you’re well on your way to being just as confident as you desire.