The Most Effective Ways To Improve Body-Image 
Self-image can feel like a constant battle if you can not find love for yourself. Appreciating your body and being grateful for everything it has done for you might feel like an impossible task if you have been stuck in an unhealthy physical and mental state. Social media has injected an idea that we all have to be perfect at all times, when in reality the people advocating this idea can be the most insecure ones. Thankfully many people have escaped this thought pattern through various ways they have either been taught or had to learn for themselves.
Body confidence does improve as you get older, but if you are someone who wishes to be proud of your body there are a few physical and mental exercises you can complete every day to try and reach self-confidence in your skin.
Positive Affirmations
An easy habit you can start as you are reading this right now is the process of introducing positive affirmation, also known as positive self-talk. You may have seen people sharing their success stories that sound too good to be true by using affirmations, but they really can change your whole perception of life. The purpose of them is to change your thought patterns and how you see yourself. If you are feeling negative and down about your image, you probably feel a lot of negative thoughts that consume your day. Writing down or speaking positive affirmations to yourself out loud will change your perception. For example, you might write down “ I love my body and I am so proud of the progress I have made.” You speak for the future self you hope to be. It may feel uncomfortable and unbelievable at first, but try to complete it once a day for a week and see how it changes your mood.
Stop Comparing
As mentioned, we are exposed to thousands of social media influencers every day that portray the perfect life without expressing the negatives they face day to day. They also heavily edit their photos and images to reflect a person they might not even look like. Internet public figures have the money to visit dentists in Leamington Spa and apply cosmetic surgery to themselves to completely alter their natural appearance. Unfortunately for someone who is feeling self-conscious, it paints the picture that everyone is perfect minus them, and can end up beating themselves up about it. If this sounds like you, you should consider limiting your social media time and try to not expose yourself to these profiles. What someone else has as attributes, real or not, not a negative reflection of what you don’t have. Spend more time on self improvement rather than on social media and aim to grow your mental strength.
Improve Healthy Habits
If you do have a negative body image and can admit your habits do not reflect that of someone who wants to seek improvement, you are already one step closer to achieving change. Reflecting on your habits and pinpointing what needs to change and act on it is a key step to reaching your goals. Replacing bad habits with healthier ones might seem daunting at first, but start small and slowly build it up. For example, if you want to stop binge eating, spend that time cooking healthier food options or even exploring new food spots outside that are better junk food alternatives.
Focusing On What You Love
When you are in the mindset of focusing on what you hate about yourself, the things you love about yourself can feel like a distant memory. In all the dark negativity, there will always be one thing you are proud of or happy to have as a part of you. It might not be physical, but you might find comfort in the fact that you are one of the smartest or kindest people you know. You might love your hair or the way your nose looks. Whatever you can think of, put your energy into it and imagine that others look at you and think the same thing because they probably do!
Seek Professional Help
If you have been struggling with body confidence for a while to the point where it affects how you live your everyday life, then you should seek professional help. For example, if you struggle with binge eating, or you struggle to find the motivation to leave the house due to overwhelming negative self-talk then it would be worth trying to find your local mental health facility and speaking to a professional. If you are also looking to gain body confidence through fitness, it would also be a great investment to communicate with a personal trainer or a dietician. Health professionals will be of great guidance as to what the next steps are to achieve overall health and wellness, which may start from within and then shine through to your body’s confidence.
