6 minute read
The Business of Being Body Positive
Positive Psychology Champion and Award winning Image Consultant, Sara MarsdenShreeve, shares with our readers five tips to promote self-acceptance and self-worth to give you the confidence to feel happier in your own skin.
In a world where people buy from people it’s so important to step out from amongst the noise of competitors and make your mark with everything you have to give that makes you and your business great.
Advertisement
You are the face of your business and are quite aware that first impressions count, but what if you struggle embracing all that you are? You know you are an expert at what you do but you don’t feel authentic or comfortable in your own power, skin, clothes and more.
Feeling unconfident in these areas can have a negative knock-on effect with your social and business interactions as well as potentially stirring up self-sabotage or steering you away from otherwise fruitful opportunities.
In today’s world, it’s not surprising that more and more women (and men) are feeling like this, unsatisfied and unhappy with themselves on many levels because of the pressures exerted on them to look a certain way. That is why the body positivity movement is becoming so important to promote the acceptance of ALL bodies regardless of shape, size, colour, ability, and gender in the face of undesirable social ideology and questionable beauty standards.
Being Body positive is only one aspect of building that all important happier self-image, but it is something that needs to be embraced. By working on yourself, you are inadvertently working on your business too, so a positive and healthier outlook can only deliver more success and progress the more you practice it. You are the biggest and most valuable investment you’ll ever make in your business.
Learning how to be more body positive takes time and is approached on various levels that inevitably promotes self-acceptance and selfworth which grows into the confidence to be happier in your own skin and I’d like to share five ways in which you can start today.
1. Mind-Set – Tiny tweaks tailor transformations
It’s not easy trying to change those negative beliefs you have about yourself that have been ingrained for so many years. Our experiences have shaped how we see our bodies from childhood to the current day and we all have different stories to tell.
However, it’s never too late to put things in perspective and learn how to turn those thoughts around and build more positive neural pathways.
I often recommend practicing visualisations, affirmations and taking time out to meditate or just quiet your mind but anything that promotes mindfulness and allows you to reconnect with what lies within has the power to build you up and shine a light on all that has gone unnoticed, forgotten, or put aside for too long.
Little things like changing your passwords to positive mantras or strong self-descriptions are useful, or you could give yourself an authentic job title showing that you are an expert in what you do. Ensure it goes on your email signatures, social media bios and gets an airing at networking events. The more you see, hear, and say good things about yourself, the more you believe it and step into your power.
2. Self-Care
Learning to like yourself a little more comes with the investment of taking time for yourself in activities promoting happiness and a sense of self development in any form. It’s not just about getting your nails done or having a facial, it’s about expanding your mind, using your body and experiencing new things. Swim that lake or join that salsa class.
Sometimes it’s just about reaching out to other professionals for help or guidance and appreciating all that you can be, learn and do. Spending time looking after your needs outside of work is the most important thing you can ever give yourself.
3. Body – Don’t let the scales define you.
Your weight should not define the living, breathing human being within, you are so much more than that. You are skilled, talented, loved, and awesome in every way and a number on a scale or label in your dress does not mean that you aren’t any of those things.
There is no happiness in diets, and it can take over your life and even have a detrimental effect on your mindset because they feed your ‘not good enough’ thoughts and make you wait to be happy, promising the holy grail at the end of it when you’ve lost the weight or got abs to die for.
Yes, a balanced and nutritious diet is important but the restriction, the control and the sadness surrounding what your weight is and what you should and should not eat, is not. Reconnecting with your body and looking at your relationship with food and eating is far more fruitful. Often, we have forgotten to listen to our natural hunger signals and have learned to eat emotionally which leads to poor eating habits and food choices.
4. Wardrobe – Wear your happy
Whatever makes you feel good when you put it on has a superpower! Whether it’s the colour, the pattern, the fabric, the style or the positive memories associated with it, wear it with a smile and find more of the same.
Your clothes help you express your personality, empower your confidence, and can show the world who you are and what you’re about, plus, they are powerful tools to wield in all arenas of life, and psychologically can provide so many benefits if worn in the right circumstances. If you don’t believe me, look up ‘enclothed cognition.’
Clothes can also be your friends and work with your body and proportions as well as hitting that ‘happy confidence’ button. Learning to find the right garments for you, your lifestyle needs, and your budget is something that can serve you forever and is an investment which keeps on giving.
Embracing your distinctive features or assets, having a unique dress sense or happen to love anything with hearts on is being authentic and is part of you, so feel empowered by what makes you different.
5. Surround yourself with positive peeps
Being in the right environment with like-minded people who support, inspire, and motivate you will always be better than hanging around mood hoovers and emotional vampires who suck out your soul. These people need to be kept at an arm’s length or at least relegated to less frequent interactions.
Therefore, seek out groups, forums, or events full of people who get you and have things in common.
Follow people on social media who are positive role models, have the same ethos and who are great influencers and experts in their field. They have no doubt overcome great challenges you resonate with. You don’t need to envy them or compare yourself, just listen, watch, and learn from them because they often have just what you need to grow.
On the flipside, have a social media cleanse from time to time to keep your feeds full of positivity, inspiration, and knowledge.
So, there you have my five useful tips to get you started on the road to body positivity and a happier self-image and I hope you can implement at least one in your day to day. Just remember that you can learn to “Rock What You’ve Already Got.”
Sara Marsden-Shreeve is an award-winning Image Consultant, Coach, NLP Practitioner, Positive Psychology Champion, Body Positive Advocate and the Co-Founder of the Wellbeing Inspiration Network, based in Derbyshire. Sara is also an avid blogger, frequently appears on BBC Radio and writes articles and guest posts for online magazines and collaborations.
Sara Marsden-Shreeve
