5 Tips to Help You Love the Skin You’re In

Loving your body is incredibly important to boosting your happiness and improving your self-esteem. But in today’s media-obsessed culture where fad diets and fasts reign and unrealistic body images abound, it can be hard to fully love the skin you’re in. Studies report that the majority of Americans feel dissatisfied with their bodies, with a nearly 80% of people unhappy with what they see when they look in the mirror. American women, in particular, are unhappy with their appearance with over 80% reporting dissatisfaction compared to 74% of men. While the body positive movement aims to stop the negative self-talk, it still takes a lot of effort to erase the body-shaming narrative in your head and look confidently at yourself in the mirror. If you’re having trouble embracing your body, then these tips can help guide you in your self-love journey.

1. Eat healthy.

Instead of worrying about diets, weight loss, and obtaining a “perfect body”, take the time to cultivate healthy habits that make your body feel good. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits and drink water consistently throughout the day. Reduce your consumption of alcohol, refined sugar, and saturated fats. Keep in mind that you don’t have to cut out these foods entirely — just cut back and be kind to yourself if you sometimes slip up. You can consult with a dietitian at a Toronto weight loss clinic for tips on maintaining a nutritious diet that will help lower your risk of obesity and meet your weight loss goal. Over time, you may see improvement in your mood and metabolism and even achieve weight loss success.

2. Give yourself pleasure.

By finding new ways to give yourself pleasure, you can explore the more intimate parts of yourself and learn to appreciate the ecstasy your body gives. Frequent masturbation has plenty of benefits including stress relief. But one of the great body-positive benefits is how masturbation changes our perspective of ourselves. We begin to understand our bodies as sensual beings deserving of love and attention. Using your hands may come across as intimidating for a beginner masturbator. Instead, get yourself into the mood with a quality sex toy like a realistic suction cup dildo. A realistic dildo will feel just like the real thing, but you can use a silicon suction cup dildo to give yourself pleasure exactly the way you want it. Suction cup sex toys or vibrating dildos can provide the right stimulation to help achieve an orgasm. Using a sex toy in the shower or bathtub may also help without the need for lubricant.

3. Practice gratitude .

Start a gratitude journal and write down at least three things every day that remind you of all your body can do. Be thankful for the ability to breathe, move, and experience pleasure. Remind yourself what your body has given you. Maybe it’s your strong legs that can conquer marathons or the birth of your children. As you begin to express gratitude for your body daily, you’ll begin to love and appreciate it more.

4. Overhaul your social media feeds.

Do a detox of your social media and unfollow any accounts that make you feel bad about yourself. Instead of following accounts portraying unrealistic body types, follow accounts that mirror your own body type. Seeing images of people who look like you will help promote a healthy sense of self-esteem and self-worth. Your social media scrolling can become a tool for empowerment just by filtering what media you interact with.

5. Find movement that makes you feel good.

Find an exercise routine that motivates and inspires you instead of one you dread. Finding a workout you actually enjoy may encourage you to actually do it more and look forward to it. You want something that makes both your body and mind feel good. It doesn’t have to be vigorous form of exercise (although if an energetic Zumba class gets you going, then keep doing it). This could be gentle yoga sessions, a wilderness hike, or just a stroll through your neighborhood. Do what makes you happy.