Feeling good about yourself also means feeling good about your body. But what can you do when you have complexes that spoil your life? Here are 5 habits to put in place to learn to love your body as it is.

1 – Give yourself compliments to love your body

We haven’t learned to love our bodies – quite the contrary. Instead, we’ve learned to hide it, to camouflage it, because it’s not enough like this or because it’s too much like this.

In fact, we’ve learned to judge our bodies by comparing them with what we see on TV and in magazines.

How about we stop judging ourselves and start complimenting ourselves?

Because if you’re reading this article, it’s because you want things to change, because you’re fed up with not feeling beautiful enough. You want to be able to live your life and feel good about your body, even if it’s not perfect by society’s standards of beauty.

Then we’re all the same.

In fact, I too got fed up with self-deprecation and decided to learn to love my body.

And, I started by putting in place this first habit of giving myself compliments.

In fact, in the morning, while I’m getting ready, I look myself in the eye and give myself one or more compliments: “I think my eyes are pretty. My hair looks nice today. My skin is soft.”

At first, this is very strange, but as time goes by, it becomes very easy and very pleasant.

That’s why I invite you to try it too. Start with a compliment tomorrow morning in front of your mirror. Then do it again the next day. Do this for 3 weeks and see what happens.

To remind yourself, set an alarm or stick a post-it note on the mirror or in your make-up box.

2 – Thank your body

In fact, loving your body should come naturally. After all, how can we not love the body that allows us to be alive and experience wonderful things?

Yes, it’s natural to love this incredible machine.

And yet, we spend our days criticizing and even abusing it. We starve it or, on the contrary, force-feed it.

We don’t always know what to do with that body we’re ashamed of.

I know, I lived with it for a long time. And, when I decided to learn to love my body, I put in place a second habit, that of thanking it.

In fact, in the morning, when I apply moisturizer, I thank my body.

My favorite moment is when I put cream on my stomach. I stop for a second and say thank you.

It’s simple, but I’m sure my body appreciates it. A small gesture, a small moment of tenderness.

Because our bodies crave tenderness, not criticism. It does its best, second after second.

In fact, our body is not our enemy, but our best friend. Without it, we wouldn’t be here.

So let’s stop rejecting it and resenting it. It’s not perfect, but it’s generous with us.

3 – Showing off to love your body

Sometimes, we don’t like our bodies so much that we tell ourselves there’s no point in making an effort.

But it’s essential to know how to look your best and to take the time to do it.

In fact, practically every morning, I ask myself if I’m doing the right thing by putting on make-up. I tell myself it’s taking me a long time (laughs).

But then I say to myself that I love my eyes so much when they’re made up, I think they’re beautiful and it gives me more self-confidence, I feel better about myself.

So, yes, it’s worth taking the time to enhance my eyes.

For me, loving your body also means taking time every day to wash, moisturize and enhance it.

If you don’t know how to look your best, there’s lots of expert advice on the Internet. Do your research. Take time to learn.

What’s more, you can have fun trying on clothes in stores. Experiment with different cuts of clothing, different colors and see what you like best.

Because, yes, looking your best isn’t about pleasing others, it’s about pleasing yourself.

If you like the way you dress and wear make-up, you’ll feel really good about yourself.

Forget about other people’s looks.

4 – See other bodies to love your body

We see a lot of bodies in films and advertisements, but in real life very few.

In fact, we see a few on the beach in summer. But if, like me, you don’t like the beach, then you rarely see any. (laughs)

That’s why I invite you to check out the #bodypositive movement on social networks.

In fact, seeing other bodies, imperfect bodies, helps you love your body.

Because, for a moment, we remember that what we see on TV and in magazines are selected and sometimes even retouched bodies.

In other words, they don’t represent the reality of bodies.

Personally, when I catch myself complaining about my complexes, when I see myself hiding my body, I look again at bodies on social networks and it really helps me to love my beautifully imperfect body.

I invite you to give it a try.

5 – Do things that make us happy

Often, when we don’t feel fully happy in our lives, we tend to look outside for culprits.

So, either it’s the fault of our work, our relationship and often, our body.

In fact, we’re not happy because our body is like this or isn’t like that. And we despair.

So we make a big mistake, because if we’re not happy in our lives, it’s not the fault of the outside, it’s just that nothing’s happening inside us.

What do you do every day to be happy? What do you do every day to love your body?

One of the first things I realized when I decided to learn how to be happy was that happiness is an action, based on daily habits.

In fact, happiness doesn’t fall from the sky, and it doesn’t depend on our body, our job or our relationship.

So we may have problems in our work or in our relationship, and we may have an imperfect body, but that doesn’t prevent us from being happy.

In fact, being happy is an inner state.

The outside world can make us feel sad, angry, afraid or frustrated, but these are fleeting emotions.

Happiness, on the other hand, is created within us. We decide to be happy and nurture our happiness by doing things that make us happy.

And loving your body is one of the most beautiful goals you can set for yourself to be happy.

That’s why I invite you to repeat to yourself every day: “I decide to love my body to be happy, happy in my life.”

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover How to love yourself? 5 tips for loving yourself fully
Discover How do you learn to love yourself? 20 magic phrases for loving yourself

I recommend this inspiring book:

The Body Positive Power by Megan Jayne Crabbe

Ms. Crabbe’s book challenges society’s standards of beauty and encourages us to accept and love our bodies as they are. Through personal anecdotes and thought-provoking messages, the book promotes body positivity, self-acceptance and a healthier relationship with our bodies. It serves as a guide to dismantling negative body image and cultivating a more loving, compassionate relationship with oneself.

If you’re tired of dieting, read this book. If you’re tired of hating your reflection, read this book. If you want to support your loved ones, read this book. If you want to enjoy life and stop obsessing about your weight, read this book. If, in your profession, you help other people to improve their mental or physical health, read this book. If you want to better understand what it’s like to live in a marginalized body, read this book. If you want real information about health and the weight-loss industry, read this book. If you’ve never heard of body positivity, read this book.

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself