4 Practices To Start Loving Your (nude) Body Again

Your body is your one true home, you should love to live in it

We are all born
so beautiful
The greatest tragedy is
Being convinced we are not

-Rupi Kaur

When I first heard that quote I cried. As beautiful as it was, it was also heartbreaking, because it was so true.

Women have always been at war with our bodies. It’s hard for many of us to look at ourselves in the mirror and be kind to ourselves.

I believe that one of the most important pieces of self-love is creating a better relationship with your body. And I think a big part of that is spending more time with yourself, naked.

This may sound daunting, but don’t let it scare you away. We are all a work in progress.

For me, nudity was always a part of my life. As a child, I would spend lots of time running around the backyard with no clothes. I got sun on all my places and didn’t have a care in the world. Bodies and nudity were never shamed in my house growing up.

As I developed and went through high school I was bullied for parts of my body that I had no control over. I started to wish I looked different. I started to plan the ways in which I would change my body.

But people also looked at my body with envy so strong it felt hateful. They wished they looked like me in a way that made me think that they really must loathe themselves. And it didn’t make me feel any better about myself.

As I left high school and started living on my own, I tried to mend my relationship with my body. One of the ways I did this was by spending time with myself naked. I knew I had so much love for my body when I was young and I was determined to feel that way again.

Soon I was back to spending time at home in the nude with the warm sun shining on me through the windows. It was my real me time. Music would play, and I would dance, snuggle with my cat, and lay in bed. Whatever I fancied. To me, it felt luxurious yet so natural.

Unfortunately, the majority of women do not spend much time with their naked selves and this is mostly because society has told us that it’s not “ladylike”, whatever that means. As well, from a young age, the media has blasted the message that if our skin wasn’t clear, our stomach wasn’t flat, our legs weren’t long, our boobs weren’t big and our hair wasn’t always blown out we weren’t worthy. To show up with our cellulite, our scars, our stretch marks, and our wrinkles, has only recently been seen as brave.

Well, I say, screw brave - it’s NORMAL. Courage should be saved for dealing with real hard things like leaving abusive relationships or starting a business. Showing in the body you were born in should be easy and the norm.

But we are human, it’s natural for us to pick at our flaws and wish that we looked different in some way. But for so long this has stopped us from being happy with our physical appearance. We hide from mirrors, say no to pictures and wear bulky clothing to hide our figures. When we aren’t happy with our bodies it affects our confidence and puts our self-esteem at an all-time low.

Yes, female representation in the media is getting much better these days. It’s finally more common to see ads with women who look more real. But even though we are slowly starting to see this shift that doesn’t mean we will miraculously start feeling good about our own bodies again. This is work that we have to do individually. There are many personal reasons why women don’t feel comfortable in their own skin. I wish that I could personally tell every single woman who doesn’t feel comfortable in their skin that they are so, so beautiful.

Unfortunately, I can’t - but you can!

There is literally no one better qualified to give you the love and care you deserve than you! And if you don’t know where to start, here are the 4 things that I did when I was trying to fall back in love with my body.

Use Kind Eyes

It only needs to be for a couple of minutes a day. Right after getting out of the shower/bath is my favourite time. Your skin is clean, soft and fresh. You’re glowing under those bathroom lights (or if you have harsh overhead lighting that no one looks good in, light some candles or find some good natural lighting). Look at yourself. Your whole self. Take yourself in with kind eyes. Don’t pass judgements. It may be hard to do at first but I know that if you make it a habit it will get easier each time.

Say Affirmations

Words are powerful. If you can say something positive to yourself over and over again and believe it, soon you’ll have created a new habit and you won’t remember ever being so critical of yourself. The power of this lies in your consistency and trust that it’s true. Leave negative self-talk in the past.

I like to change my phone’s wallpaper or leave post-its all over my house (and especially on my mirror) that say things that light me up:

💖 you are beautiful

💖 hey hot stuff

💖 that booty tho

💖 I am the woman of my dreams

Up the anti and buy a shirt with a positive message on it so every time you catch your reflection you are reminded of it.

Invoke Your Senses

I still find magic in the simplest of things. Our whole world is unlocked through our senses! Play with your 5 senses and seek pleasure out in new ways. How can you stimulate the experience in your body with touch, taste, smell, sound and sight?

Touch - what’s it like to touch your body? What types of fabrics feel best on your skin?

Taste - what’s your favourite flavour? How does eating it make you feel?

Smell - what scent invigorates you? How can you make yourself smell like that?

Sound - what sounds does your body like to move to? What sounds does your body want to make?

Sight - what colours do you like to look at? What lighting makes you feel yummy?

Using your senses allows you to dive into your sensuality and play with the feeling of pleasure in your body.

Put them all together and maybe you end up sitting in a candle-lit bath, eating dark chocolate, smelling the scents of eucalyptus and listening to slow RnB play while you float in the water.

Maybe you’d rather lay in the sun with your window open listening to the birds and eating yogurt from the tub while playing with your hair and smelling cookies baking in the oven.

Snap Nudes

If you’re up for a little more of a challenge, take some nude pictures of yourself for yourself. I cannot stress that point enough. These acts are not for others. In fact, I encourage you to keep this to yourself. Put on some music and have fun with it, be playful. Do it after a hot bath and get sensual with some steamy mirror pics. Keep it simple or hang up a fabric backdrop in your bedroom and go to town with a self-timer. The world is your oyster!

Remember - there are flattering angles for everybody. Play around and find yours. It’s such a great way to gain confidence in your body and raise your self-esteem.

Last Thoughts

Your body is your one true home. It is the vessel in which your soul lives. No matter where you go, who you are with, how often you move or what happens to you, your body is your first and last home. Treat it with love and respect and it will return the favour.