Hey liv, I really believe learning to love your body is a process and for me its taken me many many years to truly say that I do now. I used to restrict my food intake and work out excessively to maintain a very thin and toned physique as I believed I wasn't good enough if I gained any unnecessary weight. Believe me, even when you are at a 'desirable' weight the thoughts of not being good enough won't always stop. I used to attend counselling for body image which really assisted getting in control of any destructive, comparative or ruminative thoughts that would then impact my self-esteem, confidence and general outlook on life and myself. I can say from this, sometimes learning to love your body is really silencing many of the damaging thoughts you do get about your body. No matter what size you are or features you have, you really are beautiful because the real you is who you are inside and that has allowed me to stop putting so much importance on my body, thus naturally start accepting it more. Tips I found helpful for me, was to find 'influencers' or other individuals that share the same features/body size as you, and let their confidence/acceptance of themselves inspire you to feel that for yourself. You really can see their inner beauty radiating outwards because a lot of this stems from a sense of self-acceptance no matter what your body looks like. I believe another useful tip is to remove all influencers or limit exposure you see of models that could potentially trigger comparative thoughts. when you are learning to love your body, it is important to be kind and gentle to your mind. Another, is appreciating your bodily strenghs- traits you have others wish they did even if you don't agree.
At the end of the day, knowing my body is a vessel for my life and it is working tirelessly to ensure I am alive and well, allows me to connect to a more profound essence of love I have for my body. It is constantly fighting off harmful micro-organisms/toxins, pumping and purifying blood day in day out no matter how badly I eat/drink or lack of exercise and care I show it- my body is still fighting for me. Coming back to this simple and beautiful fact, I can't help but inherently love my body for how it loves me enough to keep me alive at all costs.
Bodily self-love is important, but remember you are so much more than your body- don't let it consume you. You are strong and beautiful.
