Five ways to boost body confidence

Body confidence is something that I struggled with my entire life. I was a chubby child and often got bullied due to the way I looked and by the time I was in my teens my weight had reached just over 14 stone and I was size 18. For years I hid under baggy clothes, hoping no-one would judge me. When I was 18 I decided that I needed to change the way I looked for good and over a year and a half, I had shed five stone and several dress sizes. I had gone from a size 18 to a tiny size 8, yet my demons never managed to escape me. I was generally happier with the way I looked, but still each day I looked in the mirror and compared myself to others, in fact, I was probably more fixated on my weight when I was at my smallest than my largest, it was knowing that my body could lose all this weight that made me think I could do even better. At just the right time, I met my husband and for the first time in my life, I felt at ease with my body. However, fast forward two years and I was diagnosed with two crippling illnesses which saw my weight gradually creep back on. Although I had only gained two stone out of five back, I felt deflated, like all my previous hard work was for nothing.  I battled for years to lose the weight, but my body would not let me. Earlier this year I decided to go on a health kick, cutting out as much junk from my diet and trying to ensure I'm getting all the vitamins and nutrients my body needed to keep my symptoms at bay. I wasn't trying to lose weight, my main focus was health, but gradually the weight started coming off. When I went to the doctors for a health check-up a few weeks ago, I was told that I had lost a stone and a half - through eating healthy and not starving my body or rushing, my weight managed to reach it's happy medium all on its own.

Yesterday I slipped into a dress that I wouldn't usually wear from online retailer LOTD and for the time, I felt like I had reached my happy self.  A few months ago I would not have dared to wear lace around my midriff or a body-con skirt, but here I am today. In fact, the last few weeks I have been feeling a lot better about myself and although weight loss has contributed slightly, it is mainly due to the fact that I've been eating healthy and pushing myself to be as positive as I can be. There will always be days that we have our body hang-ups, but the more we push these feelings aside and just look after our body, the better we will feel. Today I thought I would share with you five tips to achieving body confidence. If you're not a naturally confident person, achieving body confidence can be a difficult journey, but with these tips hopefully, it will put you in the right direction.

Surround yourself with positive people

Always surround yourself with positive people. Have friends that are able to put a smile on your face when you need it the most and associate with people who live life to the full and don't spend too much time worrying.

Dress up

The way we dress can have a huge effect on the way we feel about our bodies and also how other people perceive us. Experiment with clothes to find the outfits that make you feel the best and wear these clothes when you're in need of a pick me up.

Have a healthy outlook

Instead of thinking 'I must lose weight', think 'I must be healthy'. Nourish your body from the inside and it will help your overall appearance and most importantly, your wellbeing.

Get active

Exercise is not only great for keeping us fit and healthy, but it also releases endorphins which can make us feel happier. When we're happier, we are less likely to worry about how we look.

Stop comparing yourself to others

We're all guilty of comparing ourselves to other people, but it is one of the worst things you can do for your confidence. Every day we will pass people in the street that we believe is our idea of perfection, but deep down they all have bad days too. In fact, there's probably a lot of people who pass you in the streets and think they would like to look like you without you even noticing. We all have our imperfections and we are all unique, that is what makes us so special.

What are your body confidence tips?