So it seems that over the last few months I have been in a funk.

In a state of disgruntled-ness. In (very mild) crisis.

Because of my body.

Yep – every inch of its fleshy self. 

It took me a while to realise it and a while to decide to write about it but it is something we ALL face. We all have times when we just don’t like our bodies, when we get stuck comparing them to every other living female around us. When we only think we look good when we are wrapped in a duvet. When we despise our wobbles, our bones, our choices and ultimately ourselves.

For me recently it has been the many weddings I have gone to that helped me realise this mini crisis. Pretty much everyone looks awesome at weddings don’t they (and rightly so) meaning they are the perfect location to highlight if you are confidence crisis because you have about 100 other super hot people to compare yourself to! I also started to notice some of the words and thoughts I was having about myself were slowly getting a tad negative and that I was not receiving and hearing people compliments. People would tell me I look lovely and I would ignore it and bat it off instead of accepting that gift of words and letting it  feed me. Tut tut tut!

Now obviously these body confidence crisis’s can have different levels of severity. I think I used to permanently live in on, years ago when I had a pretty destructive approach to eating. Thankfully lots has changed now (praise the lord – hating your body is no fun what so ever!) but health is something that is always increasing in both body and mind, so I think I have just been due a body image upgrade. 

And chances are you are due one to.

Often when we talk health we just look at the food we are eating and while that is important of course, we also need to address our approach to our bodies.

I used to loathe my body, my wobbles, my teeth, my love handles and  my hobbit like feet (thankfully without the hair!). Everyday I would connect with this hate and disgust and let it fill my life. So you can imagine how healthy and happy I was….NOT.

That was also why I created the Flourish eCourse and Community as I couldn’t find anything that was focused healing the body and the mind. I could find anything that addressed gut health as well as mental health and for me these two work in tandem. So if you want to know more about Flourish then make sure you join the VIP below:

So if you are in need of the body confidence upgrade then here is my guide on How to Survive a Body Confidence Crisis: My Top 5 Tips so you can enjoy your hot bod!

1. Use your words wisely. You can build or destroy with your words – they are that powerful. So start being intentional about speaking truth about your body. True things are that your are unique, hand crafted, full of life, beautiful, a precious and rare soul, amazing, brave….I could go on .
   I coach people through this a lot in my Flourish eCourse as it is a really simple and effective way of crowding out all the crappy junk thinking that clouds our mind.
2. Have a clear out. Comparison is often what triggers us our body confidence wobbles so clear out any influences that are causing you to get stuck in the comparison trap.
   For example in my Instagram feed I had some awesome and beautiful women running health related business who were successful  and naturally very slim. Every time I saw them in my feed I beat myself up about not having as big a business as theirs as well as not being svelte and willowy like they are. So I wished them well and stopped following them.
   Whatever it is just clear it out of your life. I stopped reading magazines regularly years ago because it would trigger me to think ‘oh I really need to go on a diet…’. I stopped watch certain TV programs that left be feeling like a beached whale.  And you know what, as I have done this again recently, I realised how much unnecessary negative noise this blocks out making life much lovelier!
3. Treat yourself. Now ideally this would mean booking yourself into a 3 day spa somewhere but I doubt you can afford that at the drop of a hat but treating yourself is a great way to increase your body confidence. It is a way investing in you.
   It may be you get a new nail polish, make time for a soak in the tub, go out for a meal with people you love or simply have a whole day reading a book and drinking tea like a totally hermit!
   Treating yourself isn’t about being selfish it is a symbolic and powerful action that says ‘I am worth it’. 
4. Update. I used to be two and a half stone overweight many many years ago but I still find myself in a ‘fat’ mentality. It has taken years for me to upgrade my habits (not picking up clothes way to big for me) and my thoughts.
   Maybe you used to be the small, not so blossoming, one at school and all your friends were high school stunners and your still carrying round that mentality. Maybe you used to be heavier or less toned and you still still yourself as pudgy instead of a lean mean fighting machine that you are.
   Using your words wisely will help with this, but also look at any habits you have that are no longer necessary. I used to have far less money than I do now and recently realised I never buy clothes because I assume we don’t have money. But in reality we set aside a small amount every month for clothes – enough for one of us to get a new item if needed. But I never spent it because I hadn’t upgraded my mindset or my habits. (And yes I have been shopping now!)
5. Don’t go it alone. Talk to people, get really honest and say out loud the thoughts going round your head as when we speak things out we often get perspective of the ridiculousness of it all. If needed get professional help, I have had wonderful counsellors in the past who have helped me ditch the crap. That is also why I love my Flourish community as there is so much love and encouragement there and we regularly do GLAM IT UP days as an excuse to look a little fancy and share a selfie. But however you get it, make sure you get some support and people who will speak truth into your bones – literally 🙂

So there are the 5 ways to survive and really move on from a body confidence crisis. These are all things I have been doing recently to upgrade my  approach to my body – I have written new affirmations, gone shopping, had a few treat nights out and talked to people about  whats going on in this crazy head of mine. 

We are all beautiful, unique and precious. Your body is like no other and it needs to be respected and looked after. I don’t write this to moan or complain or because I want your to tell me how beautiful I am (come on I know I am hot stuff!!) I write it so that together we can all learn to shine, to flourish and to love our bodies crazily well.

This world is FULL of beautiful people,  inside and out, so much diversity in shape, skin colour, speech and, so much gorgeous ness that its understandable that we can get caught in the trap when we encounter people who are different form us.

But remember another persons beauty does not diminish yours 

How do you deal with a body confidence crisis?

And make sure you check out my Flourish VIP List!