8 Practices To Feel More Comfortable in Your Own Skin

Loving and accepting yourself is one of the keys to a happy and fulfilled life. Sadly, though, we all deal with negative thoughts about ourselves that can hurt our self-confidence and chip away at our well-being over time. 

That’s what we’re here to talk about today: how to respond compassionately to negative thoughts and feel more comfortable in your own skin. By practicing self-care and self-compassion, you can push past your insecurities and learn to love yourself as you are.

Read below for eight helpful practices to get you on the path to healthier self-esteem and self-acceptance.

What Is Body Image?

Body image refers to the way that you perceive yourself. Sometimes called self-image, it’s what you see when you look in the mirror and the root of any positive or negative self-talk about your body that goes on in your head. 

Over time, negative thoughts about yourself can lead to perfectionism, standards for your body that are impossible to reach, and even feeling hopeless. That’s why cultivating a healthy view of your body is such an important practice.

Common Reasons for Feeling Uncomfortable in Your Own Skin

If you don’t feel comfortable in your own skin, it’s possible that some of the factors below are changing the way you perceive yourself. Low self-worth, thinking too much about how others see you, setting too high of standards, and more can all stop you from having a compassionate and balanced view of yourself. 

Low Self-Worth

If you don’t see yourself as valuable, it can be hard to have a healthy view of your body and feel good in your own skin. A low sense of self-worth can also impact your professional life, your relationships, and even your physical health over time.

Comparing Yourself to Others

It’s easy to see all of the wonderful things about someone else, but it’s much harder to view yourself as a beautiful person worthy of love and acceptance. Comparison and placing too much emphasis on body image and looks can make self-acceptance even harder to achieve, and there are points of comparison everywhere.

Social media is one of the biggest sources of excessive comparison for many people, and it’s hard to break the cycle of scrolling through photos and videos and brooding over your own appearance compared to how others look. Remember, though, that Instagram isn’t a realistic representation of someone else’s life — and it’s often not an honest reflection of their appearance, either.

Unrealistic Standards

Unrealistic standards can hurt your physical and mental health, whether you set fitness goals that end up burning you out, restrict calories in an effort to lose weight fast, or just push yourself to look your absolute best every day. 

If you struggle to love and accept your body as it is and find yourself depriving yourself of food and rest as a result, make sure to get help from a licensed mental health professional as soon as possible. You deserve to live a life free from harsh and unrealistic standards!

Lack of Social Support

Community can make a huge difference when you’re focusing on personal growth. Without encouragement and support, it can be tough to see progress; we humans need strong relationships to stay healthy and happy. We don’t need a lot of relationships. Quality over quantity is the name of the game.

If your friends, family, and others in your life bring you down with negative comments, it’s time to surround yourself with more positive people. Making new friends can transform how you see yourself and help you develop a more compassionate and balanced body image.

More Serious Mental Health Issues

Issues like anxiety, depression, or an eating disorder can seriously disrupt your view of yourself and make you feel helpless and hopeless. Getting help from a mental health professional can set you on the path to personal growth and give you life-changing support on your journey. You don’t have to deal with mental health issues on your own; get help as soon as you can. 

How To Feel More Comfortable With Yourself: 8 Practices

There are plenty of steps you can take to feel more comfortable in your own skin, and many of them are habits you can start forming right now. These are our eight biggest recommendations for anyone struggling with body image issues and self-acceptance.

1. Silence Your Inner Critic

Everyone has a little internal voice; that voice can sometimes be very harsh and critical. Sometimes, it’s important to separate your genuine thoughts and feelings from intrusive and negative thoughts narrated by that inner critic. 

These thoughts can definitely be discouraging, but they aren’t based on the truth and don’t define who you are. One of the best ways to avoid giving in to these negative thoughts is through talking to someone you love and receiving some words of affirmation.

2. Practice Self-Love

Your relationship with yourself matters so much, and strengthening it is one of the best ways to be a more confident person. You can build a better relationship with yourself by practicing some self-love. 

This often looks like investing more time into your physical and emotional needs — maybe resting more, focusing more on your hobbies, or spending more time enjoying your favorite people and places. Self-love can look different for everyone, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to including more of it in your life. Start by finding ways to take better care of yourself and prioritize the things you love most!

3. Get Off Social Media

Social media, as we mentioned above, is a source of constant points of comparison. It’s hard not to feel inferior when measuring your life against a curated selection of strangers’ best moments. That’s the opposite of what you need for a better self-image! 

Taking a break from social media — or quitting it altogether — can transform how you view yourself and free you up to focus on reality. Instead of being constantly distracted by content that often brings you down, you’ll have time for self-care, building real-world relationships, and enjoying hobbies.

4. Take Care of Your Body

Your body deserves care, and investing time and energy into feeling your best will help you feel more comfortable in your own skin. Whether that means exercising a bit more, improving the way you eat, or getting more sleep, there are plenty of things you can do to feel better physically and invest in your long-term health. 

Even if you make a simple change, like taking a short walk every day, you might notice a big change after a short amount of time!

5. Highlight Your Best Qualities

One of the best ways to feel more comfortable with yourself is to think more about what makes you you. Instead of focusing on the areas where you need to improve, try spending a bit more time celebrating what you do best! 

For example, if you love to cook, focus more on your culinary skills than on a weaker point, like your tendency to procrastinate or a physical feature you wish was different. Celebrating who you are is an easy way to love yourself more and feel more connected with yourself.

6. Listen to Your Loved Ones

Pay attention to the people who love you most. Their support and affirmation go a long way, especially when you aren’t feeling the best about yourself. 

In times when you don’t feel comfortable in your own skin, there are no better people to turn to than your best friends and your family. These people will support you, help you recognize the best things about you, and remind you why you’re worthwhile and special.

7. Seek a Mental Health Professional

Getting help from a licensed therapist can change your life, especially when you’re struggling with a negative self-image. We fully believe in the power of therapy to help you confront negative beliefs about yourself and form new positive ones.

8. Join a Support Group

A support group, whether in-person or virtual, can help you build a better view of yourself and connect with others who share your struggles. 

Hero Journey Club’s therapist-led groups meet within your favorite video games so you can enjoy a relaxing gaming experience while spending time with incredible people. In fact, many of our members say they’ve formed some of their most valuable relationships in our groups!

Be Confident in Your Own Skin With Hero Journey Club

Hero Journey Club is here to help you grow. We place a big emphasis on self-love and always focus on the positive while staying authentic. If you need support on your journey toward self-acceptance, we invite you to join one of our weekly groups. 

With sessions in therapeutic games like Minecraft, Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Final Fantasy, there’s a safe and encouraging place waiting for you: the perfect place for you to build a better relationship with yourself and others.

Sources:

Body image: What is it, and how can I improve it? | Medical News Today

Protective and Vulnerability Factors in Self-Esteem: The Role of Metacognitions, Brooding, and Resilience | PMC

Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review | PMC

Social Support and Resilience to Stress | PMC