You’re beautiful the way you are so learn to love your body. There’s so much pressure on young people to look a certain way. We often compare the shape of our bodies to celebrities, influencers and other people in the media. Not to mention, the day-to-day comparison with our friends and peers. It’s exhausting! But the good news is, things are getting better day-by-day, with much more focus on health, fitness, self care and overall wellness. With the rise of the #bodypositivity movement too, it means many more young people are learning to love their body and realise that no particular size is “normal”. Everyone is fabulously different and we should learn to embrace that.
Read on to find out some of our summer camps top tips for learning to love the skin that you’re in. Plus some exciting news about size-inclusive surf gear!
Tell yourself what you love
When we look in the mirror, it’s easy to berate ourselves for the things that we don’t like about the way we look. It’s so common for us to be our own worst critic and talk badly about ourselves. But, why not be radical and try something new? Next time you look in the mirror, concentrate on one thing you like or even love about yourself… Maybe you have lovely eyes, or a nice smile, maybe your hair looks great or you have nice arms. Focus on the bits that you like and it’ll instantly lift your mood.
Talk to yourself how you would to a friend
There’s no way that any of us would say something nasty to a friend about they way they look. So why do we talk to ourselves that way? Focus on the way you’d lift a friend up if they felt down. Or they way you would give them compliments about what’s great about them. Then do this for yourself. Talk to yourself kindly and it’ll make all the difference.
Focus on health rather than looks
It’s so true that body size does not necessarily equate to health. So focus on your health instead. The food you eat is your body’s fuel and can help you to have the energy you need to climb those flights of stairs, run for that bus or dance to your favourite song. Focus on your health and fitness, rather than your looks, because healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes!
Check out two of our favourite positivity accounts… We think Curvy Super Girl on Instagram is super cool so find her here. Why not check out Textured Waves too which is run by three incredible African American women surfers.
Focus on your personality to love your body
Another top tip is to tell yourself “I love you” when you look in the mirror. Focus on your personality and think of all the reasons why you would want to be your friend. I bet there’s some pretty great personality traits in there, and you’d jump at the chance to be your friend if you could!
Focus on functionality
Just think of all the things your body lets you do each day. Breathing, sleeping, walking, singing, dancing, running… the list is endless! How cool is it that your humble body can do all this. Be thankful for how your body helps you to live life to the fullest each day. Be kind to yourself and learn to love your body.
And now, we recently discovered Sea Blue Collective – a new online marketplace which stocks a range of size inclusive swimwear and surf gear. What could be better than that? It’s true that the watersports industry has portrayed a narrow version of what bodies should look like for far too long… but it’s changing. Discover some of the amazing sustainable and most importantly “ocean-friendly” things they have on offer here.
