We live in a society that is very hustle and looks-orientated. Nowadays we get told how we should look like, what’s defined as “healthy” “beautiful” – so it’s easy to get lost and under pressure.

We start to question ourselves, and often our bodies. Especially when you suffer from low self-esteem.

You are more likely to compare yourself and measuring your worth based on your appearance.

Living like that can decrease your happiness and in the worst case in mental illnesses, such as eating disorders.

That’s why it is so important to improve your body image and maintain a (more) positive one.

Here is what you can do:

Practice gratitude daily

Gratitude is such a game-changer, the more you are grateful for, the more you will attract to your life.

As Tony Robbins says “Where the focus goes, energy flows”. Why not doing this to increase your self-confidence?

For sure, take out your journal or simply open the notes app of your phone and write down 5 things you can be grateful for your body! This just takes a few minutes and can be easily added to your routine yet it is so powerful.

It may feel a bit fake at first if you struggle with your body image. But I encourage you to do it for at least 21 days in a row, preferably every morning to have a good start to the day and it will become a habit. Be aware of the changes in your mindset with time.

Your body is doing its best just to keep you alive. There is a lot of work to be done just that you can wake up and even breathe. Imagine all these mechanisms, your cells, your organs, hormones – everything in your body working so hard for YOU.

It loves and respects you so much, so better do that vice versa!

Change the perspective

If you’re about to give in negative self-talk or negative thought patterns – set the boundary and say out loud STOP! Now, think about your best friend or another person you love would think the way about their body you do. Imagine you being with the person talking bad about themselves.

What would you tell them? How would you want them to feel like?

Talk to yourself as you would talk to them and of course, talk to your body in a more positive matter too.

Sounds weird? Believe me, your body and therefore your soul reacts to the way you talk to it.

Your body, your soul and you are connected. There is no separation. That’s why positive self-talk is changing your mindset, and changing your mindset is changing the way you see the world and the way you live. It begins within you.

Imagine your body as a garden

This is one of my favorite practices. I learned this when I was in recovery from anorexia.

When I decided to recover, I planted the seeds (to get healthy and to move towards a life worth living). And what do seeds need to grow? Water and nutrition! And that’s what I gave my body. No matter how awful & panicky I felt, this helped me to get myself grounded and to remind myself why I started.

Your body changes, the same way plants do when they grow and they are beautiful no matter what. The same goes for your body!

You can modify this exercise to your favorite animal as well. Just imagine doing the same but e.g. with a little kitten.

Would you love it less just because it changes, shrinks or gains weight? Why would you do the same with your body?

I hope these three tips help you as much as they helped me. You won’t love your body overnight and you may have lived your life being insecure about yourself and your body for a quite amount of time, so it takes practice and patience to rebuild and unlearn all these negative beliefs and things you learned throughout the years. This process is not the easiest one, so it’s always helpful to have some practical tools, such as exercises like these. It is worth it, you are worth it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kerstin is a (student from Northern Germany) and Body Peace Coach that helps people around the globe to overcome body image issues and shame so they can create happy + healthy relationships with themselves and others. In her program “from self-conscious to self-confident” she teaches people to break free from the diet culture mindset, to (re)gain their confidence and so much more.

In her podcast, she talks about topics such as confidence, relationships, and body positivity among others. Check out her website and blog, Kerstin Daut for more, and say hi! to her on Instagram.

She is currently planning her first free “Body Confidence” Masterclass, where she will answer
a bunch of questions and give practical advice. You can join it here.