The world is a different place to what it was 10 years ago. We no longer live in a time where the only bodies featured on the covers of magazines are perfect airbrushed ones. We live in a time where different bodies are being normalised. Where we are taught to love ourselves and our bodies for what they are……but just because attitudes have shifted towards a more healthy approach to self love, it doesn’t always make feeling that way easy, does it? 

The truth is that while the body positivity movement has garnered momentum and we now live in a world where all bodies are appreciated for their beauty, the psychological journey of feeling happy in one’s self can take time. The fact is that we all have flaws - as is the nature of being human - and sometimes it can be hard to learn to love those flaws, even when other people love them. 

Being body positive is important. It’s about learning to love your own body for what it is and what it can do. But how do you do that? How do you learn to love your body when you wish you looked like someone else? It’s not always easy to learn to love your body but there are plenty of steps that you can take to learn to be more body positive and appreciate your body for what it is and love how you look. 

Wondering what it takes to become more body positive? Have a read of the tips and suggestions below! 

Get Inspired 

Sometimes, seeing how someone else has embraced their body can be all it takes to help you to learn to love your own body. If you feel like you need to gain some inspiration for learning to love your body, consider finding sources of inspiration online to help you feel better about your body. It’s easy to compare ourselves to other people and our ideals of what a perfect body should look like, but the truth is that there’s no such thing as a perfect body. We are all unique and instead of only celebrating one body type, we should be celebrating all body types. 

A great place to find inspiration is on social media. You will find that on Instagram, for instance, there is an entire movement of body positivity. You can find multiple accounts to follow that promote body positivity and encourage you to feel confident with your own body. We are huge fans of the brilliant @jess_megan_ and @alexlight_ldn!! You will also see that many businesses on Instagram - and other platforms - now take pride in celebrating diversity. 

Be Bolder and Braver 

It’s hard stepping outside of your comfort zone but it’s always worth it. There’s no getting away from that fact. Yes, it’s hard the first time you take a step outside of your comfort zone but it gets easier each time you do it, until you end up having a new - braver - comfort zone. Of course, that first step is always going to be hard but you can do it and you should do it. Mental health plays a big part in feeling like this. 

However, there are things that you can do to make taking that first step a little easier. Let’s say, for instance, you dislike how your body looks without clothes on - this is a very common concern, you might avoid being naked altogether. Instead of trying to hide the problem - and your body - think of a first step that you could take to learn to love yourself, such as by treating yourself to a gorgeous negligee that perfectly accentuates your shape and makes you feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. Perhaps after that you could move onto treating yourself to some stunning underwear and work on loving your body in underwear, before tackling your naked body and how you feel about it. 

It’s also important not to be afraid to wear certain things; wear what you feel comfortable in but don’t feel like there’s a reason why you can’t wear something because that isn’t the case. A prime example of this is swimwear; there’s a stigma attached to swimwear and which body shapes look best in different types of swimwear but there shouldn’t be. It’s often said that bikinis are for smaller set women, and that larger set women should stick to swimsuits, but why? Every body shape and size is beautiful, it’s just a case of embracing it, that’s all. 

Understand That Changing Your Body Is Okay 

A common misconception when it comes to body positivity is the fact that you should not want to change your body to learn to love it. But the truth is, sometimes we just can’t love something about ourselves and it doesn’t matter how hard we try, it just isn’t something that we can fall in love with. 

In instances like this, it’s okay to choose to change something about how you look. There is no shame in choosing to change a part of your body. Some people may choose to look at cosmetic surgery or have aesthetic tweakments such as botox and lip fillers, and others may choose exercise. As long as it’s your choice, that’s all that matters. So don’t feel ashamed if you decide that you want to change a part of your body to feel more body positive - there’s no shame in making a change and there shouldn’t be any stigma either. 

The fact is that it’s not always easy to love your body and be positive about the body that you have been blessed with. However, the fact is that by taking steps to be body positive, you will find that you will naturally learn to love and appreciate your body a whole lot more. Once you start appreciating your body for what it is and what it can do, you will begin to realise just how blessed you are for the body that you have. 

Hopefully, the tips above will encourage you to think about how you can be kinder to yourself and be more body positive. Take the time to learn to love your body and you will feel so much happier and more confident as a result and remember your body is a wonderful vessel capable of many incredible things!