We keep seeing it on social media and sometimes even beauty advertisements, but how can we really love ourselves and feel more confident?
A lot of people have a complicated relationship with their body. While those who seem to be very confident might also be battling with insecurities and have a love-hate relationship with themselves.
Confidence is built on many factors. You can’t just decide that you want to be confident, then suddenly have buckets of body confidence the next day.
Building confidence is a long, yet rewarding process. And it’s definitely not impossible. The sooner you start, the sooner you can reap the rewards of basking in confidence.
Here are seven tips to get you started on your journey to feeling more confident.
Take a step back from social media
While you may be fond of scrolling through posts for #fitspiration or #bodygoals, a study found that those who spend more time on Facebook tend to have lower self-esteem. But that doesn’t mean you have to delete your social media accounts!
What can you do about it? Take a step back from social media.
Hit the unfollow, mute, or hide button when you see a post that makes you feel bad. Getting rid of negativity on your social media will help silence the inner critic that makes you compare yourself to others.
Once you’ve cleaned up your feed and timeline, it’s time to seek people and accounts that make you feel good about yourself. There are a lot of fantastic body positivity advocates, such as Candice Huffine, Zach Miko, Em Ford, Jameela Jamil, and Bruce Sturgell.
Above all, remember that people only post the sunny, happy aspects of their life. Everyone has a life beyond social media. People have their own paths and struggles, and excel at different paces. Focus on your own journey to greatness.
Focus on the cool things your body does
Instead of looking at the mirror and focusing on how your body looks, shift your focus to all the cool things your body can do. Stop thinking about what it can’t do, and start acknowledging all the things your body can do. Celebrate the little things such as how your body is able to finish a workout or even poop on a regular basis.
Don’t let numbers dictate your worth
The number on the scales, the measuring tape, or even on your following list could make you feel awful about yourself. If that’s the case, stop looking at them. These numbers don’t determine how amazing you are.
Talk about what you’re proud of
Do you like your hair? Your butt? How about your eyes? Look in the mirror, pick a body part that you love, and talk out loud about it. It might feel silly at first, but it’s a good strategy to fight body image issues.
But you don’t have to focus solely on your body. You’re a person —- and an amazing person indeed — who happens to have a body. Do you love how you’re able to make people laugh easily? Or how you’re great at writing poems? Make a list of all the things you love about yourself, and maybe even add all the achievements you’ve done. Read through them when you need to remind yourself of how awesome you are!
Dress to impress yourself
In everything you do and wear, always make sure that it makes you happy. You’re an amazing person, so invest in yourself and wear clothes that make you feel confident. Believe it or not, but the way you dress can affect your general mood.
Dressing to impress yourself isn’t just about looking sexy or hot. It’s about having fun and clothing yourself in things that will make you smile when you see yourself in the mirror.
Hype yourself up
Be your own BFF and hype yourself up. Look at the mirror and tell yourself positive affirmations to remind yourself how amazing you are. The more you repeat these affirmations, the more you believe and embody them. Some of the positive affirmations you can hype yourself up with are:
“I can do anything I set my mind to.”
“I have all I need to make today a great day.”
“I am strong enough to face and solve any challenge that comes my way.”
You can also make your own affirmations, and stick them to places where you can see them often.
Sources:
Mga pinagmulan:
Rinkunas, S. & Creveling, M. (June 20, 2018). 7 Ways To Start Feeling More Confident Right Now. Women’s Health. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a19933675/boost-body-confidence/
Brotheridge, C. (April 7, 2020). 7 Steps to Body Confidence. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/calmer-you/202004/7-steps-body-confidence
Johnson, N. (November 9, 2017). 10 Easy Steps to Finding Body Positive Confidence. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/body-positivity-10-steps-to-being-confident-in-your-skin
Creveling, M. (December 7, 2020). 53 Body Positive Influencers You Should Follow. Very Well Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/body-positive-influencers-4165953
