The #1 mind-set shift you need for better body confidence

Do you genuinely want better body confidence?  Then you’ll need to make a vital mind-set shift before you start.

It’s a common belief that to improve how you feel about your body, you have to change it physically in some way; whether that’s losing weight, toning up, improving skin tone, or whitening your teeth.

The biggest body confidence myth

It’s a complete myth that you have to make physical changes to improve body confidence.

Your body confidence is determined by your perception of your body – the way you think and feel about it, not your physical body.

Think about it this way, why is it that there are people who society considers not to be conventionally beautiful, but who feel good in their own skin?

Or women who are beautiful by modern standards, but loath their bodies?

It’s because it’s their perception of their bodies that dictates how they feel about them, not what their physical body looks like.

The way you think about your body determines the way you feel about it.

The vital mind-set shift you need to make

The vital mind-set shift that you HAVE to make if you want to work on your body confidence is to move away from:

To be body confident, I need to change my body

change to:

To be body confident, I need to change the thoughts about my body

It’s your brain that needs the work, not your body!

If you believe you need to work on your body to feel better in your body, I know it’s a difficult shift to make.

It’s difficult when you there are messages all around that tell you to lose weight, tone up, or use this or that beauty product or treatment.

But trust me, if you don’t make this shift, you’ll constantly struggle with your body confidence.

What really works for better body confidence

Need more proof that physical change is not the answer? I recently surveyed a group of women on their body confidence.

I asked them how they felt about their bodies, and what they’d tried to help with their body confidence.

90% of the women had tried diets, exercise regimes and beauty products to improve their body image, but the overwhelming majority of them said that these had NOT helped to improve their body confidence.

What helped them to feel better about their body were things that focused on their mind-set about their bodies, such as:

• Reading body positive blogs, articles, getting involved in support groups
• Meditation
• Practicing self-compassion
• Sharing experiences with supportive friends, body positive people
• Choosing exercise they enjoyed, rather than with the intention of losing weight or changing shape

I don’t expect this mind-set shift to sit easily with all of you to start with. I totally get that.

But, just let it sit with you. Repeat it over in your mind:

To be body confident, I need to change the thoughts about my body

Start to look for evidence that this is true. For example, what happens when you think differently about your body?

Something I often do when I find myself critiquing a body part is to focus on its function. I sometimes look at my legs and thighs and think they’re huge, but then I remind myself what they can do for me – they are strong and sturdy, allowing me to dance and run.

Give this mind-set shift a try. I promise you it’s a vital starting point to feeling more comfortable in the skin you’re in.

Do you need some help to create this vital mind-set shift? I cover this on my coaching programme, The Body Confidence Journey.

You can find out if the programme is a good fit for you by simply answering a few questions to help me understand what you’re looking to achieve.