The Secret to a More Body Positive Vibe Is That There Is No Secret — It Just Takes Work

Every Body celebrates inclusivity and the representation of human beings in every shape and form.

Blame Uber or Seamless or Amazon Prime Now — whoever’s at fault, we’ve all gotten a bit too used to getting what we want and getting it ASAFP.

Real talk: The big stuff, the stuff that’s really going to make you happier or healthier or live longer, still requires some effort. This latest FYI comes from body-positive Scarred Not Scared Instagrammer Michelle Elman, who says that being body positive is an every-damn-day commitment.

Like anything truly worth having, a body-positive vibe takes work — the kind you do daily by making little changes in your language, your self-care routine, and your appreciation for your own body and all the incredible stuff it does for you.

“You do it every single day,” Elman said in a recent Instagram post. “You do it when you stop yourself right before you are about to mention a diet. You do it when you intervene on body shaming. You do it when you look in the mirror and tell yourself how much you love you, even when you don’t want to. You do it when you stop a fat girl in the street to tell her how amazing she looks.”

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I am chilled with my body. Me and my body have no more beef. We've resolved all our disagreements and forgiven old grudges. We've healed and restored our love and trust AND respect. And you know what? We didn't do it alone. We did it together. It took a while, it took us having many chats. Like real chats, out loud, on my YouTube videos, in my head, in my meditations, in my Instagram posts, in my diary. But we healed because we realised we needed each other. My body needed me when it got scared or worried and I just had to put my hand on my heart and whisper "don't worry, we are safe. I'm in control" And I needed my body when my mind was weary and my body continued to drive me forward one step at a time. Me and my body are a team, not because we chose to be, but because there is no way to separate us. (Well there's one way and I don't want that option). So we had to make it work. We went from an unhappy marriage to a civil one to a fun, brave, an adventurous one and now I can say that no one comes between our bond. Not a single person. Not a single advert. Not a single comment. NOTHING. It's why when I get in front of a camera, I'm at ease because I know at whatever angle, whether it's "flattering" or not, I'll like the result because my body is my body - at all angles. I don't worry about contorting my body into a shape that it's not. I don't make my body uncomfortable by sucking in or hiding bits of myself. I am who I am. And I love who I am. #scarrednotscared • This photo was part of the wonderful #BehindTheScars @behindthescars_ project by @sophiemayanne

A post shared by Michelle Elman (@scarrednotscared) on Jul 11, 2017 at 8:32am PDT

Of course, there’s a huge payoff to all that effort: the building of an unconditional, totally accepting love for yourself and your body. So don’t get discouraged when it doesn’t magically come to you overnight. Expect good days and hard ones, and be patient with yourself.

“I was staring at my thigh and I was trying to figure out how I used to hate that part of my body,” writes Elman. “My vision hasn’t changed, what I was looking at hasn’t changed, how I saw my thighs changed.”

What small steps are you taking towards creating your own body-positive attitude? Connect with us on Twitter!