5 Ways To Practice Body Positivity

To accept one’s own body irrespective of the size, shape, skin tone, gender and physical abilities, along with the challenge to face the present-day beauty standards as an undesirable social construct, has recently spawned a social movement called ‘Body Positivity.

The person who follows Body Positivity will perform well in all aspects of life. It has been observed that many people are not happy with their own bodies and that feeling is not restricted to only women. Many incidents have also shown how these negative feelings have affected mankind and overcoming these will surely help improve self-esteem and depression levels.

Some of the Points That Help Practice Body Positivity:

Accepting one’s own limitations and using them to reach your goal irrespective of people’s feelings is what body positivity is all about. Often people have an issue with the person’s outer appearance from the size, shape, colour, and even how a person dresses. Being nasty to the person in the form of comments or showing rude behaviour is unacceptable. Societal beauty standards are not the law of the land and they cannot be enforced on people to make their lives miserable. 

No matter whatever you do, people are bound to have a dig on how you look or carry yourself. Bowing down to pressure and undergoing life-altering changes on the body to conform to societal views is unacceptable. People will comment on that as well about how fake the look is after alteration. Hence accepting what God has given you and living life to the fullest is in your hands and let not society dictate your life.

Positive Assertions

Irrespective of the body size, shape, skin tone, always love your body, nourish it with good healthy food with regular exercise, to complement its ability to think, move, feel and bring amazing experience with the world. These assertions made by ourselves will help us to stick to them better. Practice a good habit of talking loudly, with verbal encouragement and reminders daily. This step towards self-love may begin early in the morning with a sticky note on the bedside table or through self-talk in front of the mirror or place it into the mobile/computer.

Compliment Others 

Be kind to yourself by complimenting others for their presence, outfit, look, or any other talent, which is a way to overcome our insecurities. Finding good qualities in others to appreciate will eventually make us feel good about our positive attributes. Your body is also important as others and hence don’t try to show disrespect towards your body by talking negatively to others. Bad feeling about self may result in bad saying about others.

Concentrate on Your Likings

Try to do yoga or Pilates or some hobbies to strengthen the body and mind with proper breathing techniques and a feeling of gratitude towards the body. This activity performed regularly, at least for some time, reflects in the positive embracing of the body. Do some activities that are nice to yourself and your body. You could gift yourself with good healthier food, different outfits and accessories. It would be great catching up on a movie with a friend, visiting some peaceful places, beaches, gardens, etc., taking a bubble bath, swimming, walking or trekking a small hill to enjoy the scenic beauty of nature. These activities or at least a small nap recharges the tired mind and soul, which are always good to us by being with us all the time.

Comparison is Not Allowed

Never cultivate the habit of comparing oneself with others for any reason, as everyone is unique. One starts looking down towards their body and thoughts when criticizing and judging starts. We should also observe that if everyone looked the same, felt the same, and thought the same, the world would be so boring. Comparing others sometimes affects personal growth, so avoid those platforms to accept yourself.

Dress the Way You Love

Good dressing always inspires self-confidence and self-love towards the body. Whenever we wear comfortable dresses, we feel untouchable in the level of confidence and energy. Also, try to wear those outfits when they fit you and don’t keep them for the future when you may put on weight.

Being Body Positive is not one day’s work. It is a life-long engagement with little practice and acceptance tips to help the body for the long run without any health issues. The thought process is the same for everybody, but how you look after your body matters a lot.

Shailja is a writer, blogger & a content curator by profession. In addition, Shailja also works as a translator. She thinks that writing is a way to express your thoughts; it is the best way to convey your thoughts to lots of people at one time. Along with all these she is also pursuing the full-time job of motherhood. You can reach her on LinkedIn or shailjamishra027.sm20@gmail.com