We’ve all been there: as the summer months approach, all the magazines, social media adverts, and television adverts hark on about getting that ‘summer-ready’ body that is so covetable (what on earth is a ‘summer-ready’ body, anyway?), and we start to panic about our not-so-perfect bodies, with all their lumps, bumps, and curves.
But after a year in lockdown, many of us have found our motivation to exercise and engage in self-care seriously depleted, preferring to eat comfort food, binge Netflix, and lounge around in tracksuit bottoms and hoodies. Now that summer is here and a plethora of in-your-face ads are screaming at you to get that ‘perfect summer body’ (for now, we’ll ignore the fact that the models used in these ads have often been extremely filtered), it’s easy to see why you – along with many, many others – might have experienced a dip in your confidence.
We’re not going to advocate pointless diets, starving yourself, harmful supplements or treatments, or berate you for any weight gain (or loss!); instead, we’re going to give you some tips to help you build the confidence to love and embrace yourself.
Read on to find out more!
A Selfie a Day
Whilst this might seem like superficial advice, there’s method to the madness. The more you get used to looking at yourself in all your natural glory (and stop following the harmful pages of digitally-augmented influencers), the more you’ll come to love and accept yourself as you are.
So, without using filters or photoshop apps, take at least one selfie a day. It’s your choice whether you decide to just focus on your face or you want to include your body as well. Then, focus just on the positives you see and make either a written or mental list of them. Everyone has their best features and we should all learn to celebrate them!
Underwear Queen
Most people only ever put on fancy underwear for their partner’s benefit, but why should they get to have all the fun? If you want to build your confidence and love yourself, adorn that beautiful body of yours in the fanciest, prettiest underwear and allow yourself to feel good in it. Look at the reflection in front of you and appreciate the body that has literally kept you alive throughout a worldwide pandemic.
Accept Imperfections
No-one is perfect. Not even the models and celebrities and influencers you see everywhere. Nope – no one is immune to spots, body odour, pigmentation, ingrown hairs, cellulite, scarring… Basically, they’re normal people like the rest of us.
If there are minor imperfections that you feel you can do something about (without undergoing surgery or shelling out hundreds of pounds), then of course, invest time into improving them. For example, if you get spots on your shoulders, bum, and the back of your thighs regularly, the likelihood is that your sweat and dead skin is accumulating in those areas and blocking your pores. Don’t bother with all the ‘miracle’ creams advertised – simply buy some regular old exfoliating gloves, and wash your body daily using these (don’t scrub too hard, though).
If you’ve always been insecure about your wonky teeth and desperately want to straighten them out, there are options available to you, such as clear braces or invisible braces through companies like Straight My Teeth. The benefits of getting invisible braces from Straight My Teeth are that they will help to straighten your teeth whilst also remaining virtually unnoticeable to others which is great.
Manifest Your Mantras
Goals, goals, goals. You are so much more than the way you look – you are a rounded person with lots of wonderful, unique elements and traits that you should embrace. Write a list of all the amazing, quirky, individual aspects of yourself and then a list of all the things you want to achieve (that aren’t related to your body or looks). Read these every day and you’ll find your confidence levels will increase and your goals will be the main thing you focus on each day.
Always remember, you are uniquely you and are perfectly imperfect – so start believing it!
Collaborative post
© Copyright 2021 Antonia, All rights Reserved. Written For: Tidylife
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