Ignore the Body Shamers: 5 Positive Ways to Amplify Your Body Image

It’s not easy to stay body positive when body shamers abound. Being body positive means maintaining a healthy body image regardless of how others view your weight, size, shape, and shape. It’s an exercise in confidence and resolve that proves difficult in a society that tolerates body shamers. But it’s not entirely impossible. Here are 5 ways to amplify your body image and stay body positive.

These days, most toxic ideas come to us through the screens of our phones. As much as social media has furthered the body positivity movement, it remains an effective platform for bullying and negativity. If you naturally stay away from body shamers consider distancing yourself from apps or accounts that do the same.

As a simple first step, check your Following list on Instagram. See if any of them have ever made you insecure about your body in a way that triggered negative thoughts or unhealthy actions. Unfollow ASAP. On the other hand, you can also keep tabs on these accounts and actively call out any unhealthy posts.

Your circle of friends, immediate family, and housemates can affect your body image. Research from Mount Alison University in Canada found that how women think their friends feel about their bodies influences their body image. It makes sense. A friend who constantly complains about her stomach rolls would make you think about how your stomach looks.

On the other hand, a friend who rarely mentions anything about weight might keep your mind off it, too. This doesn’t mean you should ditch your self-conscious friends. However, if you feel like you’re in a vulnerable place, try distancing yourself until you find your confidence again.

Still keeping that pair of low-rider pants from 2012, praying they would one day fit again? They may be back in fashion (ugh!) but they are holding you back from being your fabulous body-positive self. Instead of holding on to the past, focus on wearing clothing that flatters your current shape.

Do you have curves now? Maybe try a new style of denim jeans. Don’t mind what body shamers say. Start educating yourself on how to dress for your new body type by braving the fitting room and trying on clothes. Dressing for your body shape will help you define your new style and feel confident in the body you have.

If you’re showing some skin and want to look positively glowing, use Vaseline Gluta-Hya Serum Burst Lotion Flawless Glow. This has Hyaluron and GlutaGlow technology that brightens and evens out the skin tone. Apply the lotion on your arms and legs for smooth, hydrated, and dewy skin.

According to the UK Mental Health Foundation, how we talk about ourselves can also affect how we perceive our bodies in the long run. For example, conversations that support the idea that youth and slimness are what make people beautiful can reinforce the idea in your mind.

Avoid commenting things such as, “This makes me look fat,” or “Pag ako pumayat...” You may not have been thinking about it at the moment, but they can bind your self-worth to your weight or shape in the long run. By engaging in this kind of self-talk, you might be doing the work of body shamers inadvertently.

The Journal of Applied Psychology notes that seeing exercise as a punishment and food as are ward can hinder you from achieving a healthy relationship with your body. The “no pain, no gain” attitude is often applied to fitness even if it promotes negative feelings towards physical activity. It also implies that only one kind of fitness journey can be successful, which is false.

As you develop a healthier relationship with your body, experiment with different exercises and fitness activities. Choose one that’s sustainable. Usually, that means it doesn’t make you feel like you’re being tortured and it’s fun. You’re more likely to stick to it, too.

Body shamers can get to even the best of us. Practice reinforcing your body image every day with the tips above to help you maintain a body-positive mindset no matter what’s thrown your way.