Nowadays, confidence is key for everyone. It simply looks good on us all! Just because you’re a plus-sized woman or have gained weight doesn’t mean you should let your sparkle fade.

As a woman, I know my body goes through phases and I should love myself throughout my life no matter how my body looks.

I live in a bigger body and I still love myself.

If you are struggling with your confidence as a plus-sized woman, here are the ways I stay loving myself no matter what.

Importance of confidence

I’m sure you’ve heard it all before — that confidence has all these fantastic benefits.

While everyone makes it sound easy, just like gaining self-assurance is simple, it can be challenging. Although, they aren’t wrong when they say confidence is full of benefits.

Self-confidence is the attitude about skills and abilities you possess. I like to acknowledge my strengths and weaknesses while accepting them for what they are.

Doing that makes me feel a sense of trust, since I am remaining realistic and taking ownership of my positive point of view toward myself.

Ways to act on self-love

Let’s be honest here — I didn’t wake up with a bundle of confidence. For some people, it comes naturally, but for me, it takes some work.

I continue to do these things all the time to keep my confidence high. With that being said, there will be days when your self-image is not as high and that is okay. Now is the perfect time to pick yourself up and remember who you are in your beautiful body.

With the pressures of social media and society norms on how to look, your confidence can get stolen away. Remembering beauty comes in all shapes and sizes is essential to keep in mind despite what social media tells you.

At the end of the day, my body is not here for everyone else to judge and look at. It is my home, the place that keeps me alive and healthy every day, so I will respect it at all costs.

Here are some things I do daily to maintain loving myself in a bigger body:

Stay active

A common misconception is that because I am big means I don’t take care of myself. That is not the case at all.

Doing activities that nourish my body makes me feel good inside and outside. The Health At Every Size movement is all about prioritising your health over weight, which I think is an important concept to promote. Your health is more than the number on the scale.

The way I think about exercising has changed for the better. Before, I would work out to ‘work off’ the food I ate that was considered ‘bad’. But rather than thinking of exercise as a punishment, I started doing it from a pleasure point of view.

The key here is finding something you actually enjoy. If you try to force yourself to run five kilometres every day and hate it, find movement that is fun and something you look forward to.

I enjoy anything from weightlifting to yoga, Pilates or even a walk outdoors. If you have children, you can get involved with their play time outside on the swings or play a game together.

All movement is good movement.

Eat nourishing foods

Diet culture has become a toxic topic in today’s society. As women, we are especially prone to negative self-talk about the amount of food eaten or what we eat in a day. Although I get sucked in occasionally, bashing foods or discussing diets does nothing for me.

Simply learning the foods that make me feel good and nourish my body are the only things I focus on. I don’t categorise any foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

Having a mix of food in my day that nourishes my body and soul is the best diet. I generally like to eat whole foods but will allow myself to eat sweet treats or takeaway when it feels right.

Use positive self-talk

I like to consider if the way I talk about myself is the way I would speak of others. Most of the time, when I think something negative about myself, it’s something I would never consider saying to another person.

I like to tell myself positive affirmations in the mirror. Talking to myself in the mirror and saying things that make me feel worthy and loved is essential to keep that positive attitude.

I also write down thoughts in a journal that aren’t serving me and throw away the page with all the negative things crossing my mind.

Through positive self-talk, I unconditionally love my body for how it is and remember all the amazing things it does for me.

Invest in yourself

Treating yourself always stays in style. I love doing things for myself that make me feel good.

Going to the nail salon or buying new clothing boosts my confidence. I’m not rich, but I always find the money to do something that invests in expanding my inner faith.

My self-love is through the roof after I do something that makes me feel beautiful.

Maintaining self-love as a bigger woman

I know it’s hard for many women to look in the mirror and love themselves unconditionally, but listening with compassion to encourage body positivity is an excellent way for all of us to love ourselves as we are.