5 Psychological Tips to Build your Body Confidence

Most of us could do with a healthy dose of freshly found body confidence. But how do we get that body confidence in a world where so many media outlets are focused on making us feel like we are lacking, in order to sell their wares? In this article we’ll discuss some psychology based tips that might just help us feel better about our bodies. What are body confidence tips that work for you?

1. Try to ditch the obsession with clothing size numbers, focus on trying to find clothes that fit.

You might have seen social media posts that show us that sizes with the same number are not necessarily the same physical size in every store, or for every brand. While it is difficult to stop focussing on the size you have, realising that sizes aren’t always reliable is a good first step to improving your body confidence. Now comes the thing that makes you look better: wearing clothes that fit. Even if your ego might like wearing a US 6, if a US 8 fits better it will probably look better on you too. You know when someone is wearing a clothing size to small, because it shows, but once someone wears something that fits you are not aware of the number anyway, as it fits the person’s body better. Once the shirt is on, nobody will be able to tell if you are wearing a US10 or a US12.

2. Acknowledge and try to quit body-shaming yourself

As anyone with an interest in psychology will know, you cannot truly start to solve a problem unless you acknowledge that there is, in fact, a problem. For those with a low self-esteem, the first step to improving your situation is acknowledging that you talk yourself down. If saying nice things about yourself is currently too hard, at least try to stop actively talking yourself down.

3. The body bully

Name the voice that’s talking you down. It often feels like we are the problem, but it’s often not the case. Try giving the fat-talking, mean voice a name, maybe use the name of someone you do not like, or did not like at primary school, for example. If someone named X used to make fun of you at primary school, and you’re having negative thoughts about yourself, try to offer those thoughts some resistance by telling them “No X, you’re not welcome here, I do not have time for this.” This creates distance between you and the negative thoughts, can help you realise it’s not the truth and move forward, and see yourself in a different light.

4. Mirror, mirror

If you’re into social media like youtube and instagram etc. try to follow people who look like you.

5. Wear your faves

Got a dress or other piece of clothing you don’t wear enough even though you love it? Wear it on an average weekday, maybe you’ll feel like you’re overdressing, but trust us, you look amazing! You’ll automatically give off a more positive vibe when you wear clothes you like.

What are your tips to build body confidence? Share them with the Psych2go community and get better together!