4 Ways to Boost Body Image Confidence this Summer: Surviving and thriving the summer heat with negative body image ☀️
Ah, summer - sun’s out, beach days, and warm nights by the firepit. Sounds like a dream, right? For some of us, summer is the happiest time of year. For others, the thought of putting on our shorts and tank tops feels more like a nightmare.
While the summer months tend to be the most active and inviting to social events and outdoor activities, they also can be a catalyst for high anxiety for those who struggle with negative body image.
We are constantly bombarded with bikini ads and workouts on getting the “perfect beach body” (psssst: EVERY body is a perfect beach body!), so it’s only human to start comparing ourselves and honing in on our insecurities.
What if we’ve struggled with an eating disorder and are working on accepting and loving the body we are in right here, right now? What if we don’t like showing our arms or legs because they are our biggest insecurities?
Body image is deeply rooted in our minds and takes consistent, daily work to reframe those pesky yet convincing distorted thoughts into rational and helpful ones.
So, how do I enjoy the hot summer days while working toward a more positive perception of my body?
Try these tips to help boost your self-esteem and live fully and freely during the summer months:
1. Clothes are meant to fit us, not the other way around:
We’ve all been there, standing in the fitting room, excited to try on those cute jean shorts we’ve been eyeing. You start to slip them on, and they don’t button. You check and see that it’s the “right” size, and there you are in front of the mirror feeling awful about yourself.
Guess what? Clothing sizing isn’t standardized! That means that what you typically wear from one brand is most likely going to be a totally different size in another.
While this can be extremely frustrating and disheartening, especially if you struggle with body image, it’s imperative to remind yourself that bodies are not standardized.
Every single person is their own sample size of one, and beating ourselves up based on a number that’s created using a specific, often unrealistic, body type will only make us feel worse.
Next time you’re trying on those shorts, I encourage you to remind yourself that your body is never the problem, and that clothes are meant to fit us, not the other way around.
2. Change the way you talk to yourself:
We all have an inner voice. Sometimes that voice is supportive and motivating, while other times it can be judgmental and put us down. Consistent negative self-talk can be very harmful to our self-worth, and can slowly but surely turn us into grumpy pessimists about the world around us.
With patience and grace, changing the way we speak to ourselves can greatly improve the way we feel about our bodies because, often, negative body image stems from underlying feelings that we might not have processed yet.
One way to start the healing process? Try talking to yourself the way you would talk to a good friend. We most likely wouldn’t see our friend at the beach and say, “man, that suit would look great on you if only you were skinnier”; but how often do we say these things to ourselves when we look in the mirror?
And why is it okay for us to say this to ourselves but not to our friends? How rude and untrue of us! If we can identify a negative thought and reframe it, we can start taking back the power we have lost to the critical and false part of us.
3. Bye bye to clothes that don’t fit or serve us anymore:
It might sound strange, but our closets can play a huge role in how we value ourselves.
Hear me out with a little example - my sister, now brother-in-law, and I had one of the best days ever exploring a new neighborhood in Brooklyn a few years ago. We giggled and galavanted through shops, restaurants, bars, and met some of the nicest people! It always puts a smile on my face whenever I think about it.
The other day, I was picking out what to wear when I stumbled upon the workout set I had worn that day. I decided to try it on and, lo and behold, it didn’t fit. This wave of devastation crashed over me, and for a moment I found myself dismissing all of the amazing memories that were created on that special day years before based on the fact that my body has changed.
Did I really want to hold onto something that made me forget one of the best days I’ve ever had? Big no! I pulled myself up, put on clothes that fit my current, perfect body just as it is right now, and took that old outfit to the charity bin down the street. It wasn’t what I wore that day or how I looked that made it so special, it was who I spent the day with.
Long story short, let go of clothes that don’t bring you joy and comfort! Your worth is not based on what you wear.
4. Surround yourself with uplifting people:
Ever heard of the law of attraction?
The concept is simple: what you focus on, you will attract.
So, if you notice you tend to focus on the negative, you often will find yourself surrounded by negativity out in the world. By surrounding ourselves with positive people, our focus will naturally shift to positive thoughts and energy, which, in turn, helps greatly in boosting our confidence!
Remember, confidence is a journey, and it's okay to have ups and downs. Celebrate the small victories and be kind to yourself. You are beautiful just the way you are! 💖✨
