In recent years, the body positivity movement has spread like wildfire, and it’s not hard to see why. The beauty and fashion worlds have been dominated by a rigid, formulaic approach to attractiveness, placing thinness, leanness and whiteness at the centre of their industries, only to be eaten up by the masses. Introducing terms like ‘curvy’ and ‘androgyny’ back into this cycle, allows them to be broken, creating spaces for people, like me, to exist in the mainstream. But, sometimes it’s not enough. We all have bad days where we hate everything about our bodies and wish we could change it. Well, I’m here to give you some tips to help yourself feel better about your body and begin moving towards a healthier relationship with it. However, please remember that these tips can only go so far. If you experience consistent body dysmorphia or dissociative thoughts, please contact your local doctor to discuss more long term solutions
1. TRY A BODY SCAN
A full body scan is a great technique to help combat body dysmorphia, which is when you often feel a part of your body is larger or smaller than it appears in real life. For me, this is my stomach. Start your body scan by sitting on the floor, legs crossed, eyes closed. Breath in and out and count each breath. Then, starting at the top of the head scan down to your toes. Try to stop yourself from connecting your body to a judgement or negative thought. So instead of saying ‘Head, neck, too chubby, chest, too flat stomach, too big’, simply notice that those parts of your body exist, and build up a realistic picture of them in your mind as you scan. It’s difficult but give it a go! To find out more, watch this video. Over time, you can build up a more realistic visualisation of your body that you can use to help counteract negative self-talk.
2. PRACTICE THE ‘5 4 3 2 1 RULE’
This has been a wonderful tool for me personally to help combat comparing yourself to others. When you’re walking in the street, you may see another person who is supposedly ‘better’ or even ‘worse’ looking than you. You may wish you wanted X feature of theirs, or feel better about yourself because you have X feature that is ‘better’ than them. But, when that happens, simply notice those thoughts and start the 5 4 3 2 1 process.
Name 5 things you can see around you, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and finally name 1 good thing about yourself NOT related to your body. For me, this is that I write well. It’s good to reinforce the things that you like about yourself about your body to remind yourself that your body is just one small part of you, and so there’s no point in placing as much judgement on it as we usually do.
3. CHANGING HATRED TO HEALING
Again, difficult but doable! Most body positivity tips require mental work, and this is no exception. Each time a negative thought appears in your head, try to practice gratitude. So, for example, ‘I don’t like my stomach’ can be changed to ‘I am grateful I have a working stomach’. I do apologise if this tip is not as inclusive as it could be, since I am aware that a
lot of privileges are afforded to me because I am not disabled. However, I’m sure everyone can at least name one thing they’re grateful for!
4. GET OUT OF YOUR BODY COMFORT ZONE
This means trying that body-con dress you always thought you wouldn’t look good in, not shaving your legs and going outside in shorts, not wearing make-up or styling your hair for a day. Essentially, challenging your pre-conceived notions of your body. So, when you go outside without shaving your legs and you see that you survived, you may not think your hair is so ugly after all!
5. CREATE ALTERNATIVE BEAUTY STANDARDS
Combat rigid standards by searching for beauty standards that are more inclusive of people like you. If you’re non-binary, search for non-binary clothing suppliers like GFW . If you’re short, brown and curvy like me, search up plus-size brown models on Instagram like Nabela Noor. Take control of your timelines, let them make you happier!