10 Simple Every Day Tricks You Can Do To Feel Amazing and Confident in Your Own Body
I am going to share 10 ideas you can do in your daily life to feel comfortable in your own skin. Way too many people - in all ages, shapes, sizes, gender, and colours - feel insecure in their own bodies. For some deep body dissatisfaction can lead to severe mental health issues, such as body dysmorphia, depression, disordered eating or eating disorders. I had body image issues during my teenage years. I hated my body and avoided mirrors at all cost. There are only very, very few photos of me from those years. For me it took years to realise I am absolutely fine exactly the way I am and my value as a human being is not based on my appearance or any other external things. After all, bodies come and go, and what truly matters is how you show up in this world and treat other living beings. A healthy, balanced lifestyle helps to connect with the mind, body and spirit.
This is going to be a long list of wonderful things - please don’t get overwhelmed! Pick up and implement 3 of your favourites and you will experience a positive difference in your life.
1. Eat Nourishing Foods
You cannot go wrong by eating healthy, nourishing foods in abundance. Whatever your goal is stick with unprocessed, whole foods. Vitamins and minerals will make your skin clear up, your hair and nails shine, and you will no longer have digestive issues due to their high-fibre content. Processed foods are created to be addictive. For instance, refined white sugar can pass cocaine reward! If you crave for sugar, grab a fresh fruit and stay away from sugary sweets. They will only cause your blood sugar rise rapidly and crash down straight after, leading you to feel even more drained. Caffeinated drinks aren’t much better. They exhaust your adrenals, which can lead to all kinds of hormonal imbalances. I would also recommend staying away from table salt. It is highly processed, toxic, has no minerals, and only depletes minerals from your body, such as calcium from your bones. On top of that, it makes you look and feel bloated. Instead use sea vegetables, like dulse and wakame, to add salty flavour or high-quality sea salt in careful moderation.
When you stay away long enough from junk food, you will realise you no longer crave for them. If for some reason you ended up eating junk, you would be quickly reminded how awful it is for your detoxified body. I never recommend anyone to eat junk food - even if they are recovering from eating disorders - because unhealthy, processed foods don’t have any nutritional value and they contain all kinds of cancer causing preservatives and additives. Thus, they are not good for anyone and shouldn’t even be regarded as food. Certainly we can sometimes go for those not so-healthy-options and it can be a ’nourishing’ experience for the mind - especially if you are sharing the experience with your loved ones. Yet, even in these situation opt for a less unhealthy option if possible. You cannot compare a homemade cake and a preservative filled, artificially coloured cake made in a factory! I want to emphasise food is only one factor to your overall health and a reflection from all other areas of your life. Food should never become the centre of the universe and limit your life.
2. Move Your Body
Keep yourself physically active throughout the day: take a brief midday walk during a lunch break to grab some fresh air, and walk or bike to work. Long walks in nature are extremely powerful in many ways for our health and overall wellbeing. If you have a typical office job that keeps you passive, I would recommend having a workout plan. You don’t need to sweat like crazy and do all kinds HIIT workouts to stay fit and fabulous. Consistency is the key. Sometimes life takes over and that is ok. Tomorrow is a new day and you can quickly get back on track. It’s better to start slowly than trying to do everything and burn out. Long-lasting results will take time but it’s worth it. Pick up something you genuinely like.
To me yoga has become the cornerstone of my life. Yoga helps to stay calm through the storms of life. I also mix up my routine with pilates and barre. I used to do high impact workouts in my early 20s but as my life became more hectic my needs changed. What works for me may not work for you. Someone else may find spinning meditative. If you struggle with motivation, get yourself high-quality equipment and clothing, book a personal training session or try a new class with a friend.
Walking in nature is one of the healthiest things you can do for the mind, body and spirit. This photo is from Vaucluse, Sydney where I loved to walk with my friends.
3. Maintain Trimmed Appearance And Dress for Your Body Type And Size
Simple things make a significant difference like having a nice haircut, white teeth and glowing skin. These things sound like a no-brainer but way too often I see - even people in high-positions and well-paid jobs - with greasy hair and stained teeth. Make sure you visit your a hairdresser regularly, brush and floss your teeth twice a day and use chemical-free quality skincare products.
And the dress size thing - I mean when people are desperately trying to fit into clothes way too small. I don’t know who they are trying to fool but the truth is, nobody else knows your dress size and couldn’t even care less. Clothes of your body size and shape are way more flattering than squeezed skin in tiny shorts. Of course this goes other way around too, avoid too baggy clothes: they make us often look sluggish and much older.
4. Maintain A Good Posture And Smile
Draw your shoulder blades down and back - and smile. What a difference! When you stand tall, chest open, neck lifted you immediately feel more confident. More space in your body will create more ’space’ to your life and mind as well. Even the most elegant designer dress looks horrible with hunched shoulders. Avoid scrolling through the phone all day long since our small phones forces us to round over, which compresses internal organs and lumbar spine. Have breaks throughout the day to stand and walk tall. Choose activities that would help you to improve mobility and strengthen muscles especially around the shoulder, back and core area. Pilates is probably the number one healer for this. To keep good posture, make sure your work desk supports your goal. Avoid sitting on chairs if possible and rather sit on the floor cross-legged. When you sit on the floor or on a pillow it’s much easier to sit on your sitting bones and find the neutral spine and good posture.
5. Touch And Love
We all know we’re social animals. Sadly, we have been forced to live in isolation but if you have a chance, embrace real human touch, whether that’s hugs, kisses or sex. Human skin-to-skin contact is linked to better immunity, mental health and it helps to feel good in our bodies. Touch starvation or skin hunger is a real thing. If you don’t have a partner, wear something nice, move your body with the rhythm, try body mapping and give yourself a massage.
6. Love What You Do And Do What You Love
Ideally you would have a job you love. Life is short and you don’t want to spend your days building someone else’s dreams. However, this is not always possible due to life circumstances. If that is the case, make sure every single day you commit at least half an hour just for yourself to do things you truly love. Hopefully over time you could start shifting slowly-slowly towards your dream job or role - the one that brings value to your life and to this planet. That will make you radiate positive vibes and beauty around you.
7. Drink Clean (Filtered) Water
Stay hydrated throughout the day. This is essential for proper cell functions and ongoing detoxification. You don’t want the sludge to get stuck in your body, block your digestive system and start showing up as a bloated stomach and painful pimples on your face. Start your day with a glass of water, keep a carafe on your desk and carry a water bottle with you. Make sure your bottle is BPA-free, ideally glass or other material that would not leek toxins. If you live in an area where water quality is not the highest, use a filter. Especially in big cities with old water pipes it is a must. If plain water gets boring, try to spice it up with berries, watermelon or citrus fruits.
8. Use Social Media Mindfully
Social media is built to be addictive. There are several good books about screen addiction and how to manage social media, such as the books by Adam Alter, Arianna Huffington and Cal Newport. Obviously, social media itself isn’t good or bad like money isn’t good or bad. It’s more about how we use it. Social media can be an excellent platform to share life experiences and information. At the same time the majority of people have become absolutely addicted to their phones and social accounts. If you need to check your phone every single hour, you probably have a problem. Be aware the vast majority of people and marketers want to share only the very best versions of themselves and their lives through photoshopped, filtered images. The comparison trap can be very toxic. The good news is you can choose which accounts you follow. Delete the ones that make you feel miserable and follow the ones that make you feel inspired and uplifted. Even better if you can set specific time limits when and how much you use social media per day, for instance only after work for 15 minutes. Check your screen time and you may be shocked!
9. Rest Well
Sleep is definitely undervalued. When you sleep, your body recovers. Sleep deprivation not only gives you those sad, dark, puffy eyes but it also comes with other nasty consequences. Sleep deprivation is a major contributor for unwanted weight gain: it whacks our hormones regulating appetite, leptin and ghrelin. Lack of sleep makes you feel hungrier and you don’t get as satisfied as you would do after a good night’s sleep. You start craving for sweets and caffeinated drinks. Yet, the only way to get out of sleep deprivation is to have more quality sleep. Another hormone that is affected is cortisol, which messes up with your metabolism increasing the likelihood of weight gain.
When it comes to sleep, we all have different needs and our need will change throughout our lives. Also the quality of sleep matters. You need a sleep friendly environment: a comfortable bed in a quiet, dark room that is slightly more towards cool than too warm. Remember to turn off all electrical devices at least 30 minutes before going to bed because the blue light on the screens keeps you alert and electro magnetic fields affect the brain and make you sleep restlessly. If you need to do something during this critical 30-minute-period before bed, choose something calming like gentle stretching, reading a hard-cover book (yes, those old-fashioned ones!), journal or talk to your loved one. I typically journal after my morning yoga practise or the last thing at night. If you struggle with your thoughts and creativity and don’t know how to manage stress, I highly recommend reading The Artist Way by Julia Cameron. The key point here is: DO NOT CHECK YOUR PHONE right before bed.
10. Pause, Be Still And Be Grateful
Pause completely at least for 5-10 minutes every day. Connect with your breath and beating heart, close your eyes, forget everything around you for a moment and just be. Remind yourself that you are alive, enough and beautiful just the way you are.
Recommended Resources:
BOOKS:
The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
PODCASTS:
Girl Boner Radio: Body Mapping, Pleasure and Touch Starvation