We have all those days when we feel a little insecure about ourselves. It’s so easy to let our insecurities get the best of us and make us feel uncomfortable in our own skin.
And it’s a spiral that can be super hard to break out of.
Feeling insecure about yourself mentally, emotionally, or physically can really impact the way you see yourself in the mirror. And then on top of that, you have society’s and media’s definition of beauty, which only adds insult to injury.
And it can be really difficult to move past it. (For more on this battle, listen here.)
But there is something you can do to help you through the hard times and prevent them from occurring in the future.
A few changes in your lifestyle and mindset can help make you feel comfortable in your own skin. And overall, comfortable just being you.
Let’s discuss:
How To Feel Comfortable In Your Own Skin
♡ Practice self-love.
The definition of self-love is “an appreciation of one’s own worth or virtue” – powerful right? Self-love is a concept that is sometimes hard to grasp. More on self-love, here.
BUT, what it really boils down to is that you need to learn to love yourself. And one of the best ways to practice self-love is to give your MIND and your BODY gratitude for all the amazing things they do for you.
How to practice self-love:
+ Make time for self-care on a regular basis.
+ Practice saying your daily affirmations in the mirror.
+ Forgive yourself for past mistakes, and vow to try to prevent them in the future.
+ Take care of your body, both with exercise and rest (then do the same with your mind).
♡ Accept your weaknesses.
You’re not going to be great at everything – and that’s okay. Whether it’s cooking, communication, time-management, exercising – whatever. Things take time, practice, and work.
The first step to becoming the person you want to be and becoming comfortable in your own skin is accepting these weaknesses. Then, you can begin to work through them.
How to accept your weaknesses:
+ Get to know yourself better.
+ Understand that you might not always look or feel perfect.
+ Spend time working on what you can control, and let go of what you can’t.
+ Refuse to let your inner critic control your life.
♡ Work on personal issues.
Almost everyone has trauma and personal issues they need to deal with. These issues take up SO MUCH mental capacity, and can have real effects on our relationships and overall quality of life. To listen to an amazing story of overcoming trauma, addiction, and more, check out this post.
Instead of continuing to push those issues out, choose to deal with them head on. Don’t let your personal issues control your life any longer. Instead, focus on personal growth.
How to work on your personal issues:
+ Journal your thoughts and feelings on a regular basis.
+ Instead of dwelling on the past, choose to forgive others (as well as yourself) for past mistakes.
+ Know you’re not alone and ask for help when needed.
+ Don’t be afraid to reach out to a counselor or therapist. More on the benefits of therapy, here.
♡ Surround yourself with positive people.
We don’t need to tell you how detrimental toxic people can be to your life. Surrounding yourself with people who make you feel uncomfortable in your own skin by insulting you and making you feel unworthy is horrible for your mental health.
It’s time to kick those people out of your life, and instead surround yourself with people who bring you happiness and positivity. And this doesn’t apply to only real life humans, this applies to anyone you follow on social media who makes you feel less than too.
How to surround yourself with positive people:
+ First, say buh-bye to the haters, critics, and bullies. This is easier said than done, but so necessary.
+ Cleanse your social media accounts of the haters, critics, and bullies as well.
+ Join new groups and participate in new activities, rather than spending your time in the same old places.
+ Put yourself out there, and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.
♡ Find a support group.
Speaking of surrounding yourself with positive people, consider joining a support group. Support groups provide an open space for people just like you to share their own struggles, as well as their stories of triumph and success.
By joining the right support group, you will gain access to a new world of advice, friendship, empathy, and just overall SUPPORT (of course!). And there are SO MANY support groups out there for people who need a little help feeling comfortable in their own skin.
How to find a support group:
+ Research local support groups in your area and/or ask a local therapist for a recommendation.
+ Consider joining an online support group. You can find several with a simple Google search, some of which have amazing reviews and testimonials.
+ Ensure that the support group you choose is ACTUALLY a place of positivity.
+ Try a few support groups before committing to just one.
♡ Practice gratitude.
Studies show that practicing gratitude can have a huge positive impact on your overall quality of life. Giving thanks for all the small things in life (and big things!) has been shown (like – actually, really, scientifically shown!) to reduce stress and improve both mental AND physical health.
And, the best part? Practicing gratitude is so easy to do. It takes only a few minutes to do each day, and in turn, it will have HUGE impacts on your life. Incorporate gratitude into your day EVERY DAY. It’s easy to do with The Skinny Confidential HOT MINUTE PLANNER. There’s a prompt for writing down your gratefuls every single day. Learn more about the planner that will elevate your mornings.
How to practice gratitude:
+ Make a list of things you are grateful for each and every day. It can be as little as three things, or as long as you want. The more the better.
+ Start a gratitude journal, where you keep your gratitude list, as well as any other stories, experiences, or thoughts you are thankful for.
+ Make a point to thank others for the things they do that you are grateful for. Both in your family and your community.
♡ Practice healthy social media habits.
Social media is great…until it’s not. If left unchecked, social media can quickly become a place filled with jealousy, FOMO, bullying, self-comparison, and just straight up negativity.
If social media is giving you anxiety and/or making you feel uncomfortable in your own skin, it’s a good idea to make changes to your social media habits to ensure that social media is a positive place for you to exist.
How to practice healthy social media habits:
+ Use social media with intention – not just to scroll and compare yourself to others.
+ Limit the amount of time you spend on social media each day.
+ Only follow people and pages that give you positive vibes.
+ Cleanse your social media accounts of haters, critics, and bullies. (And don’t feel bad about it!)
+ Take a break once in a while, and remember to live in the moment.
♡ Make healthy choices.
This one is kind-of broad, but the point is: to feel comfortable in your own skin, you need to make healthy choices that you can feel good about. Not only do you need to make healthy choices for your mind and body when it comes to relationships, diet, exercise, trauma, drugs, alcohol, and more. You also need to make choices you feel good about – so that you feel good about yourself.
If you’re constantly making unhealthy choices when it comes to food, partying, alcohol, WHATEVER, you’re just not going to feel good about yourself. And even more, you’re probably beating yourself up about it. Instead of letting your bad choices run your life, choose the healthy option and feel confident about your choice.
Lauryn always says that she thinks self confidence comes from the promises you keep to yourself – she learned this from Ed Mylett. Treat yourself how you would treat your best friend, keep the promises you make to yourself and strive to attain your goals (& enjoy the journey to get there).
How to make healthy choices:
+ Reflect on your past mistakes, and learn from them. Then, take steps to prevent them from occurring again.
+ Remove negative people from your life, especially those that encourage bad choices.
+ Take care of yourself mentally and physically by maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine.
♡ Don’t rely on validation from others.
Like some other tips on this list, this one is so much easier said than done. When we give others the power to determine our self worth, we give others power over our overall well being. And no one deserves that power but YOU.
Instead of valuing yourself by what others think of you, choose to value yourself anyway. Know that you are worthy of someone’s time, respect, and love. And realize that those who choose put you down, degrade you, and make you feel unworthy and not worth your time, energy, or effort.
How to stop seeking validation from others:
+ Have confidence in yourself, and know you are worthy.
+ Avoid comparing yourself and/or your life to someone else’s.
+ Don’t measure yourself on the basis of social media likes, comments, etc.
♡ Maintain a positive mindset.
And lastly, you have to keep things positive. It’s normal to feel down and out sometimes, but a constant cycle of dread and self-consciousness is super unhealthy. Especially for your mental health.
Practice positivity throughout your day. Replace bad habits with new, positive ones and work on surrounding yourself with those positive people we mentioned earlier. Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts, find a new distraction. In time, your overall mindset can become a very positive place to be.
How to maintain a positive mindset:
+ Practice gratitude on a daily basis, and throw in some affirmations as well.
+ Maintain a healthy lifestyle.
+ Remove negative people from your life.
+ Don’t be too hard on yourself.
You owe it yourself to love yourself and feel more comfortable in your own skin.
After all, it’s your life and you only get one. So, you might as well love yourself and give yourself the respect and value you deserve.
x, The Skinny Confidential team.
+ check out the top lessons Lauryn has learned from doing 400+ podcast episodes.
++ stalk these productivity tips to help you reach your goals.
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