Body confidence. That’s a big old topic at the moment, isn’t it? Everyone on the planet has a relationship with themselves but growing to love our bodies, mind and soul is something that has taken the world by storm more and more over the previous years. Social media certainly has something to do with the rise in young (and older) people having body confidence issues for starters, I have no doubt about that. We’re constantly bombarded with images and articles on how we should look, what we should wear, how to get the “perfect” body. It’s ridiculous. Not to mention, there’s absolutely no such thing.
I’ve always struggled with body confidence issues. When I was at my thinnest and most toned and when I was at my biggest. It doesn’t discriminate and upon having such a long and tiring battle with body confidence, I’ve had no choice but to develop and figure out ways in which to feel more empowered. We have 1 body. That’s it. It’s up to us to feel comfortable in our own skin and ignore what society and the media are telling us. To love it and take care of it the best we can. But I know as much as anyone that we can all do with some help on our journey’s of feeling empowered and comfortable in our own skin.
Here’s a few things (some of which I definitely do myself – if you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I never stop talking about yoga!) that we can do to feel more empowered and kick societies ideals to the curb!
Yoga & meditation
I love Yoga. I could talk about Yoga all damn day. I do Yoga every single day (within reason) and I don’t feel myself unless I’ve done some. Yoga is such a calming but empowering form of exercise and it’s so accessible too. Can’t afford a class? Do it at home. For free. My favourite Yoga channel, Yoga With Adriene has transformed my life over the past half a year. It’s hard not to feel empowered when you’re standing in warrior 2, hot and sweaty, knowing that you’re doing something wonderful for your entire body, mind and soul.
Cut things / people out that make you feel bad about yourself
Social bloody media… it’s without a doubt, the root cause of so many people’s lack of confidence, body hang ups and general feeling of not-going-enoughness. I’ve been there. I still am there. But I’m learning to take control of my own social media, who I follow, who I watch on YouTube and what I see on a daily basis. If anyone makes you feel awful about yourself, in any way, don’t be scared to un-follow them. There’s no shame in it – it’s your social media after all!
Wear underwear that’s comfortable and makes you feel unstoppable
Nobody going to see it? Who the heck cares! Wearing nice underwear is such a small but empowering thing. Personally, I think it sets you up for a positive start. Nobody wants their knickers always riding up their bum or their bra strap always falling off their shoulder (I am currently that person at the moment). You can find comfortable and supportive underwear from Knix which certainly won’t break the bank.
Treat yo self!
Dammit, just buy the shoes. You deserve it. I know material things are mostly irrelevant when it comes to feeling empowered and learning to be empowered (it’s all within, there’s no doubt about that) but I think we could all do with treating ourselves every once in a while. Why wait for someone else to buy you a gift when you can buy yourself something and know exactly what you want?
Learn to put yourself first sometimes
This is more about empowerment of the mind, more than anything else but when your mind feels empowered, I believe you can tackle absolutely anything. We all need to look after ourselves and our own mental well-being, so if going to that party isn’t making you feel good… Don’t go. I know sometimes, we simply cannot put ourselves first (there’s a whole bunch of reasons for when we can’t) but when you can, do. If it feels right.
Watch empowering films / YouTuber’s / documentaries
Obvously this will differ quite dramatically depending on who is reading but spending an evening with yourself, watching things / people you find empowering can help you feel empowered yourself, there’s no doubt about it. Find things / people you resonate with, who you like and admire and their energy will rub off on you.
What do you do to feel empowered?
* This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Knix.