Life: self-acceptance and learning to be nice

‘God you look so fat’. ‘I’m not sure you should wear that dress – people will start asking if you’re pregnant’. ‘Hello fat ass’. For years, this has been the daily dialogue I have with myself over and over and over.

Like a lot of women, I’ve never had the most positive relationship with my body. My weight goes up and down, but my confidence levels never really change. And that’s something I’m determined to change.

Women can be unbelievably harsh on themselves. Things you would never dream of saying to a close friend, we often tell ourselves every morning when we take a look in the mirror. And that’s just plain wrong. We should be our greatest advocates, not that horrible little voice in your head that tells you you’re not good enough, or too fat, or just plain ugly. Don’t believe that voice – it’s all lies.

Over the past few months, I’ve been taking steps to feel better about myself. I’ve started taking regular exercise classes – not just because of those wobbly bits that plague me, but because I love how they make my body feel strong and for the endorphin hit that comes afterwards. I started spin classes and almost vommed in the first one (thanks One Rebel), but a few weeks on and I actively look forward to that 45 minutes of sweatiness. It does a whole lot more for my mental health than it does for just the physical side. It’s about re-building confidence in myself and knowing I CAN do it, even if I leave looking like a very sweaty ginger tomato.

Feeling positive about yourself isn’t all down to healthy foods and lifestyle choices (or at least, it shouldn’t be). For me, it’s about squashing those horrible little gremlins in the back of your mind that say ‘you can’t do this’ or ‘you’re not good enough’. Don’t listen to them – you can do anything you set your mind to. It won’t always be easy, but I’m a firm believer in the power of positivity. Don’t waste your energy putting yourself down, instead channel it into things that make you feel truly awesome, whatever that may be. And if you catch yourself thinking things about yourself you'd be horrified saying to your best friend, give yourself a mental slap and move on. Don’t let yourself be your own worst enemy.

You are awesome, you can do it and yes, you deserve it. <3