Get positive about your body. Image via Unsplash.

Body confidence is one of those elusive qualities that seems to come and go. Sometimes we have a good day and feel like strutting about in our skinniest jeans, while other days are definitely all about the baggy jumper. We face a relentless pressure from advertising, magazines, films and social media to be physically perfect – even though the definition of what that is seems to shift all the time.

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Being confident is incredibly hard sometimes, but it’s also a skill that you can practise. Here are five practical tips on shaping your self-image and getting to a good place:

Start A Love List

If you’re really struggling to stop negative thoughts, start a ‘love list’ on your phone. Every day for a week, note down one thing you love about yourself. It may feel a bit forced to begin with, but keep going! Whenever you begin to think something bad about your body, take a look at the list of your great physical attributes to derail the negative cycle. Simple but effective.

Find A Positive Body Icon

We all know there are some social feeds and people who are guaranteed to make us feel bad about ourselves (hellooo Victoria’s Secret catwalk show…) but equally there are plenty body positive Instagram feeds and icons out there. Seek them out, in real life and online, and fill your world with people who celebrate themselves. It can have a transformative effect on the way you think about yourself.

Dress To Flatter Yourself

Sometimes, the way you dress can have a big impact. We tend to fixate on a single feature that we don’t like. But there is a lot you can do with the clothes you wear to minimise features or also bring out your best ones. There are lots of YouTube videos and articles about dressing for your shape, so take a look and learn some tips. Work with your body type rather than against it, and you’ll feel so much better.

Be Sure Of Yourself

Of course, there are ways to alter what you have – through diet, exercise and even cosmetic surgery. And occasionally, these can be the right thing to fix specific issues – but only if you are doing it entirely for you, and you understand that changing that one thing won’t change your life. Losing ten pounds will make you slimmer, but that isn’t a guarantee of happiness. So before you march down to Belvedere Clinic, be sure of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it – quick fixes aren’t a way to solve all your problems in life.

Give Some Compliments

One great thing about positivity is that it’s infectious! Give someone a genuine compliment and you send a positive energy out into the world that tends to attract more back in return. Also, learn how to take a compliment when it comes your way, rather than immediately countering with something bad about yourself, just smile and try a simple ‘thank you’. You could even note it down for when you aren’t feeling good.