I don’t know about the other women reading this, but I am ready to reclaim my body! I want to reclaim it from the media, from the obscene societal beauty standards, from the men that have ever laid their hands on a woman without consent, from the gossip, from the bullies, from every single person on this earth that is not me, because my body is mine and no one else’s. It’s time that we bring importance to reclaiming your self-care and self-confidence.

Most women know what it’s like to struggle with loving their body. Whether it’s “my thighs are too big” or “my stomach isn’t flat enough”, most of us are familiar with that Mean Girls moment of staring at ourselves in the mirror and nitpicking everything in sight. It tends to leave you feeling disgusted, defeated, and discouraged. Especially since you walk out your door, or pick up your phone only to be bombarded with unrealistic standards and expectations of how women should look and present themselves to the world.

Don’t get me wrong, taking care of your body is extremely important, but so is taking care of your mind set. I think there isn’t one self-care method that’s better than the other. Self-care looks different for everyone.

Below are a few of my tips and tricks to keep yourself well and ready to take on anything being thrown at you.

1.Find a healthy way to cope with stress

I cannot ‘stress’ this one enough. Stress can derail your life pretty quickly if you don’t know how you react to it, and how to handle that reaction in a healthy way. So, find the things that help keep you sane. For me, that is where my daily fitness routine comes into play. I love to kickbox, and believe me when I say it’s pretty hard to leave a class where you punch and kick things just as stressed as you were when you walked in. BUT if it’s not fitness then it could be art, or music, or being in touch with nature. It can be anything and everything in between as long as it helps instead of hinders you.

2. Do one thing for yourself everyday

I know we all lead hectic daily lives, and it often feels like we just sleep, eat, work repeat, but I bet somewhere in there you can find 5 minutes to do something that makes you smile. I’ll do anything from treating myself to a latte, to painting my nails, to reading a chapter from a new book. They are all just small, simple things that can provide a nice escape from the fast pace of everyday life, and give you just the boost you need to make it through the rest of the day.

3.Take your time to be with yourself

I am the most extroverted extrovert you will ever meet, but even I have times where being alone is the best thing I can do to take care of myself. Within that, i’ve found meditation is a really great way to let go of everything and really tune in to what you’re feeling and thinking. So even just once a week take 10, 20, 30, 60 minutes to unplug and focus on you. You’ll be surprised the things you discover.

4. Give yourself a pep talk on the daily

Yes, that means exactly what you think it does. You don’t have to necessarily stand in a mirror and say it to you reflection, but every day, whether it’s in the morning or night, I want you to give yourself some love. I can be as simple or as in depth as you want, but seriously…compliment your awesome self! The more you tell yourself how wonderful you are, the more your brain will jump to all those warm, lovely, positive thoughts as opposed to the self doubt we all experience on a daily basis.

We are so much more than any weight, measurement, or dress size. We are mothers, sisters, educators, activists, feminists, lawyers, doctors, dancers, actors, and the list goes on and on. My physical and intellectual achievements will not be defined by society, but rather by myself. It’s time we reclaim our self-care and self-confidence. Women all over the world are kicking ass and taking names, so please stand back and watch us crush your societal standards, expectations, and stereotypes into dust!

Words via Lexi Johnson | Images via Giphy