Photo: Inez Lewis MUAH: Stephanie Navarro
First steps to start your journey to a body-positive life by Ruby Roxx
Living a life of body positivity and confidence is not an overnight thing. About five years ago, I decided that I didn’t want to continue living a life of self-hatred anymore. A life where I’d wake up every day, weigh myself, look/inspect myself over, and reaffirm all the things I hated about my body. It affected everything from my moods and my mental health to my physical health and my relationships. That day, I decided to start focusing on the positive and everything I loved about myself and my body.
Photo: Inez Lewis MUAH: Stephanie Navarro
Here are the first steps (and reminders) that helped me at the start of my journey and that continue to do so on my bad days:
- Focus on the positive
For most of my life, when I’d look in the mirror, I’d see my tummy, my thighs, my split ends, my stretch marks, my spider veins… the myriad of little things that I didn’t like about myself. It finally dawned on me that I couldn’t ever truly love anyone or expect anyone to ever truly love me in return if I couldn’t just love myself. So I made a list of 10 things I liked/loved about myself and have since added to it anytime I love something new. It’s a big list now.
- Surround yourself with positive people
The people you spend your time with have just as much of an effect on your frame of mind as you yourself do. Luckily, in discovering and sharing body positivity with those I love, as well as being 100% open and honest about my feelings and journey, I’ve been given effective support and unconditional love from those who matter most. It makes me matter.
- Think critically and positively
I grew up being told that I wouldn’t be happy/ healthy/ successful/ wanted/ or even loved if I wasn’t “perfect”. In our modern world and in the media, skinny = “perfect”. This is a lie! It isn’t real! Real healthy bodies come in ALL forms. My biggest piece of advice when you’re online or watching TV and come across a weight loss ad or a lingerie ad that makes you feel bad about yourself, and the way you look, is to remember that it is NOT real. It’s not real life. You’re real!
Beauty is not all about how you look. More importantly, it’s about how you feel and how you make others feel. It’s how you act and how you think. Beauty truly is on the inside. It is a positive state of mind, not a state of body.