5 ways to love and appreciate your body more to avoid swimsuit anxiety

The excitement for summer builds when you experience 30-degree days towards the end of spring. It’s also when I begin to be more conscious of my body. I am able to live happily without worrying about my body’s appearance throughout fall and winter. Like clockwork however, once the warmer weather arrives, my anxiety about wearing a bathing suit sinks in. Quite frankly, I am over it.

Anxiety about bathing suit fits is more than just feeling uncomfortable in a bikini. It is true that how we see our bodies can impact our lives. It is crucial to have a healthy relationship with them. According to Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Reports, girls and women are more likely not to participate in important life activities if they feel unhappy about how they look. 17% of women say they won’t go to job interviews if they don’t feel confident about their appearance.

Although we grew up in an age where the idea of a “summer body”, is commonplace, every body is a body. Contrary to what you may have heard, it is not necessary to do boring workouts or follow trendy diet plans if you want your body to love you more. You can have an anxiety-free summer by learning to love your body and this is how you do it.

1. Connect with your body

It’s difficult to understand something you don’t know. Your body is an example of this. Every day, our bodies do incredible things for us. They allow us to move and breathe, nourish us, and enjoy ourselves. Yet, we don’t often notice. There are many ways you can connect with your body and learn more about them. One way to connect with your body is through your breath.

Thank you, mind! It is so important to take the time every day and scan your body to observe how the breath moves through the body. This will help you understand your emotions better, allow you to notice how you feel in the body and build a deeper connection with it.

Self-pleasure is another fun way to have fun. Masturbating is when you are able to value yourself enough so that you can give yourself pleasure. It reminds you of your worth and makes you feel good about yourself. Masturbating can be a powerful way to remind your mind that your body is beautiful, worthy of love. Masturbation is something you should incorporate into your daily life. It is the best way to learn self-love.

2. Find a workout that you enjoy

Why are you getting up in the morning to go to your gym? You don’t have to hate exercising. There are many options for workouts today. These include online classes, running groups and spin, pilates or yoga. Like food and clothes, not everyone likes the same thing. It takes time to find what you love. It should be enjoyable to move your body and work out. Exercise releases endorphins. Even though it may feel sore, our bodies are happy when we exercise. Changing our outlook on working out will allow us to love and appreciate our bodies more.

3. Change the story

Women have been told for a long time that they must look certain things to find happiness, love and success. It’s not surprising that we are anxious about what our bodies look like. It is time to re-learn the body positivity message we were taught in our youth. We have to shift the narrative. This can sometimes require deep inner work with a therapist in order to understand why we don’t love our bodies or to replace criticisms with compliments internally. However, no matter where you are at your self-love journey there are simple steps that you can take to make your body a better place.

Push out negative thoughts about your body. You can make a list of affirmations that you can use whenever you feel unhappy about your body. You might use these affirmations to help you feel better about your body.

4. Look good in clothes that make you feel good

Although fashion is great for boosting confidence, there are times when clothes can make you feel less confident. Don’t wear anything that makes you feel bad about yourself. When you’re dressing up this summer, make sure you are happy with your body. Fun fact: After years of feeling miserable in low-cut swimsuits, I now only buy high-cut swimsuits. Fashion should always make you feel better about yourself. If it does the opposite, it isn’t doing its job.

5. Cleanse your social feed

Your social media feed is yours, and not anyone else’s. You should use it to get inspired, entertained, and laugh. You should stop feeling worse each time you close an application. You can say goodbye to workout videos that make it seem like you aren’t toned enough, or celebrities and supermodels who make you question your appearance. It’s not worth the effort if these posts make you feel worse.

Instead, create a feed that is filled with accounts that motivate, inspire, and make you smile. Start with one account that you are passionate about and work your way up. It’s possible to make it a routine to clean your feed at least once per month. This will allow you to quickly delete any negative content. You can take a break if you find the apps overwhelming. Social media can have a significant impact on our mental health as well as our perception of our bodies. Make sure that it is a positive tool to help you love yourself.