5 Ways To Start Lovin' The Bod You're In

Whether you're still in school or settled at uni, feeling secure in yourself and your body can be a bit of an uphill battle. 🥾

I used to cringe hard at myself in a tagged pic - I even hated on my feet for being too fat. My body didn't stand a chance! And it's not just gals that hate on our bodies, it's guys too - so here are some ways to try and shhhh your inner body shaming and love what yo' mamma gave ya.  🥰

Challenge your inner critic

We've all got that mean voice inside our head whispering "ugh there's no way you can pull that off", or "they look way better than I ever could". These painful thoughts won't go away overnight, but you can defo notice then reframe them.

Take note of when they crop up and mentally respond. It helps me to think of thoughts as something I can't control, but can ignore or challenge like this: "No. that thought is garbage - I'm not perfect but I'm more than good enough" 👊🏼

Comparison is the thief of joy

Comparing yourself to others is like comparing a fish to a bear. Or a banana to a spag bol. Ok they're terrible examples, but you get the picture. No two people are the same. No one is you. No one has your smile, your energy, your quirks or your way of thinking.

Also: influencers are the last people you should be comparing yourself to. I'm just gonna say one word: filters. 🤳🏽

Added to that is a reminder that no one was born perfect, or with the same body type. So go easy on your sweet self. So what if someone is slimmer, curvier or more athletic? They will never be you. 

Forget about sizing 

 I used to be a size 10, but now I've gone up a few sizes (cheers panny-d comfort eating) 🍕. The thing I hated the most wasn't my body, because it looked pretty much the same but with more padding 🤷🏼‍♀️. What I hated most was my clothes being in bigger sizes.

The thing is, different stores have wildly different interpretations of sizing. So I decided to just choose clothes I love and that I'm comfy in; regardless of sizing -  12 or 16 - if it fits and feels good, that's actually all that matters.

Consider unfollowing unrealistic influencers

You heard me 💅🏼. If it makes you feel bad every time they post, get rid of them. The social media influencers that lead seemingly perfect, hot-body-and-perf-make-up-24/7 lives. It's not real, and even if it was, why hold yourself to such an intense standard?

Enjoy life by doing what you genuinely love doing, if that means playing video games or eating 15 tacos with your mates - don't try to make your body and life perfect. Life's not meant to be perfect! 

Ask yourself why

Ask yourself why you're deadset on getting the perfect bod. If it's because you think it'll make you happy lots of people have fallen into this trap, and unfortunately it doesn't always work. Usually happiness comes from a place of acceptance, so accepting yourself the way you are rn is a great place to start. 

Of course, if you're working on your bod to be healthy and thrive, pop off sis!

It's normal to have negative, distorted and intrusive thoughts about ourselves. The trick is to notice them, label them as intrusive and tell yourself a different version of the truth - the version where you love yourself, the body you were given and who you are. Be more forgiving of where you're at. You deserve it! ❤️