I have come to enjoy talking about body positivity and self confidence online. Not only is it really liberating and helps with my own issues but it appears to help others too.
I regularly get messages from people sharing their own experiences or thanking me for posting certain truths about myself. The fact that my journey can also help others really is special to me.
Because of this, I thought I would share some of the tips I follow regularly to help boost my self confidence. Hopefully some of these will help you too!
SELF CARE
This is a suggestion a lot of people put forward but it really does make a huge difference to your wellbeing and self confidence to take time for yourself regularly. And by regularly I mean once or twice a week minimum.
It is doable no matter how busy your life is and doesn’t have to take long or cost much, if anything.
Self care can range from a long bubble bath with a face mask to a walk on your own. It could be simply painting your nails or reading your favourite book.
This step is so SO important! I always take time of an evening most days to have a bath, unwind, and scrub and moisturise my skin. It makes me feel amazing.
FOLLOW POSITIVE PEOPLE ONLINE
We are all guilty of spending too much time scrolling (yet saying we are too busy to do stuff!) but is who you follow having a negative impact on your mental health?
Nowadays I only follow accounts that make me feel great. Positive, happy, real people who make my Instagram feed a happy and inspiring place.
If you find yourself feeling crappy after looking online then maybe rethink who it is you’re following.
For example, I used to follow fitness accounts for inspiration but found they did the opposite and made me feel crappy about myself. Bar a couple that do help me a lot, I don’t follow any now. It’s your social media account, you can follow whoever you want!
LOOK AT YOURSELF NAKED MORE
Hear me out on this one. I have always had major self confidence issues and hang ups with my body. They have stopped me doing and wearing a lot of things in the past. One thing that is really helping me change that has been looking at myself naked in the mirror.
It sounds weird but it really works. The more you familiarise yourself with how your body really looks the more you will come to accept it. Point out the parts you love about yourself and accept the parts you don’t.
Bodies bend and move but we are mainly used to seeing ours posed in the mirror and photos. By doing this you can get to know how your body looks in different positions. It honestly makes the world of difference.
BUY NICE UNDERWEAR
Following on from my last suggestion, if your undies need a bit of an overhaul then I suggest you treat yourself ASAP.
Wearing gorgeous underwear makes me feel so much better and boosts my confidence. You don’t have to have fancy matching sets, even every day ones can be lovely.
There is something about wearing nice underwear under my outfit (over freshly scrubbed and moisturised skin of course!) that makes me feel so much better about myself.
EXERCISE
Yep, you knew this one was going to be on here didn’t you. The reason is because it works! If you’re anything like me and struggle regularly to get motivated to exercise then I feel you. I really do. Despite knowing how good it makes me feel I always try and find an excuse not to exercise.
I have found changing my mindset and goals is now helping me stay focused on keeping it up. I do want to lose some lockdown weight sure but more importantly, exercise boosts my mental health and makes me feel awesome in so many ways. I also want to feel fitter and stronger as appose to losing weight.
One of the biggest issues I’ve had all my life, is thinking I can’t achieve things that are too hard. Now I want to see what I achieve when I do push myself and don’t give up. Exercise is one of those projects.
Exercise doesn’t have to be a long slog or something you hate too. Start off small and vary what you do. I love doing yoga, going for long walks and toning exercises. I also do HIITS (which I have a love / hate relationship with ha) and have also ran in the past (I need to get back into that).
I now aim to move at least twenty minutes each day. I also make a point of doing stuff while at home doing every day things too. Push ups while waiting for the kettle to boil or dancing to music while stirring dinner are little things but all add up to big things.
POSITIVE QUOTES, PODCASTS AND VIDEOS
One thing I do most mornings before I get up is look at positive quotes on Pinterest. Sounds weird, almost cheesy, but they really help to motivate me to do the best that day.
I also like to watch motivational videos on YouTube such as TedTalks ones and listen to podcasts about mental health such as Fearne Cottons ‘Happy Place’.
All of these things feed me positivity and make me feel much better about myself and life in general.