You’re reading this blog just to turn it around? (Those are the real lyrics to the song, look it up.)

One of the things I LOVE writing about on this blog is body acceptance. I love sharing bits and pieces of my journey, my struggles, all that jazz, because I know I’m not alone with it. 

But here’s the kicker: over the last few weeks, I’ve been feeling pretty alone. 

Not “alone” in a person-to-person sense, really, but, like everyone else, I go through periods where I just don’t feel great about my body.

Periods where I’m hyperaware of my belly, my cellulite, how my body moves, all of it.

And it sucks. 

And one of the worst character traits about myself is that I never follow my own advice. I always encourage others to be kind to themselves and (to quote Adele) go eeeeeeeeeeaaaasssyyy on themselves, but for some reason, I’ve been neglecting that advice for my own self over the last few weeks.

Typical. 

So anyway, I’m taking this moment in time to stop and revisit ways to feel better about yourself on bad body image days, because, look: we all have them. Sometimes, we get up and our body just doesn’t seem to be bodying the way we want it to. And that’s fine, but having your brain constantly fighting your body is absitively posilutely exhausting. 

So here are a couple thoughts to help you go easy on yourself on these bad days. 

Move your body in a way that feels good to you.

Maybe you’re a runner. Maybe you like yoga. Maybe you’re not super into traditional forms of exercising. All of this is okay, and when you’re having a rough body day, think about simply moving your body in the way that feels best to you. 

Could be a walk around the neighborhood. Could just be 15 minutes where you stretch out your back, hips and shoulders. 

Moving your body can be a good reminder of what our body is capable of and how it helps us get through the day. 

Balls-to-the-wall self care.

One of my go-to practices on a bad day is INTENSIVE self care. I mean like a nice, hot shower or bath, a face mask, a cup of hot tea, doing my nails, the whole works. 

And it does help, because these activities are all body-centric, and they sort of nudge me to listen to how my body is feeling that day. 

Plus, there’s something sort of romantic about treating yourself to a gentle time of self care. Even just running a brush through your hair or washing your face can help, because it’s connecting you with your physical being.

It’s all about the connection. 

Make sure you eat.

If it’s a bad day, maybe you want to order out and treat yourself. If that’s what you’re feeling, go for it!

(I’m going to take this moment to remind everyone, yet again, that your body isn’t going to immediately change after ONE MEAL. Eating a few slices of pizza won’t result in immediate weight gain. I used to be terrified of this at every mealtime, but the fact of the matter is, one meal isn’t going to change your body. If you want to order pizza, do it guilt-free. Unless, of course, you don’t tip the delivery driver. And then, yes. You should feel guilty.)

Whatever you decide to eat, just make sure that you do eat. It can be hard to decide to eat something if your mind is telling you horrible things about your body, but trust me. Your body needs that food, and you’ll FEEL better if you don’t restrict.

Clothes matter.

 If you’re having a bad body day, wear comfy clothes that fit you. Nothing too tight around the waist, nothing that restricts your body in any way. The goal here is to be on the same side as your body, not constantly battle it. Soft, snuggly materials, loose shirts and stretchy fabrics always make me feel better.

The goal here is to be on the same side as your body, not constantly battle it.

Get off social media.

It can be hard to connect with your OWN body if you’re being bombarded with images on social media of other people and their bodies.

Sometimes, the best idea is to just get off social media altogether. 

Trust me. It’s not going anywhere. No, you’re not missing anything. Nothing is more important than your own state of mind, so take a few hours off scrolling through FashionNova ads and bikini throwback pics from girls you used to go to school with who “wish they were back in Barbados.” 

Or, get ON social media.

Am I going to contradict myself? Sort of.

Do I believe that ceasing the incessant scrolling through posts that make you feel bad about yourself will help your mindset on a bad body image day? Yes. Yes I do. 

However, there are pages and blogs and Pinterest boards out there that can help validate your emotions and remind you that you’re not alone on these bad days. Really utilize hashtags to find pages and content creators who encourage positive, self-love behaviors and who give sage advice. It never hurts to fill your timeline or your feed with people who make you feel GOOD and HAPPY and like you’re not alone in your struggles. 

Phone a friend.

Last tidbit: reach out to a friend.

It has taken me such a long time to understand that having a few close friends that you can share the heavy stuff with, that’s SO MUCH BETTER than having 30 friends on the periphery who you feel like you can’t talk to when you’re having a bad day. 

Even if you FaceTime a friend just for a little distraction, that can be more beneficial than sitting in your struggle alone and hoping that a shred of positivity comes your way. It’s okay to lean on your friends. That’s what friends do. 

I asked some friends about what they do to take care of themselves on bad body days, and they supplied me with some additional insight, so I’m going to pass that along too. You can never have enough wisdom. 

• “Get outside for a walk – gives perspective and a much-appreciated escape/distraction.”

• “Find body positive blogs and drool over how pretty these people are, until I remember that I look like them.”

• “I make sure I exercise.” 

• “I think about how cool it is that I have a functioning (body), and how I’ll feel when I’m old.”

• “I usually just go work out and tell myself I’m blessed.” 

• “I defs make an effort to not body check and keep my eyes from lingering on the mirror.”

• “Always repeat mantras that reinforce how much our body works so hard daily in ways we don’t even see and deserves love.” 

• “I try and remember how much my body has done for me and practice gratitude for my health.” 

• “Wear comfy clothes that you feel proud to be in…shave my legs, paint my toenails and get a fat coffee!”

• “Three things you love about yourself, over and over again.”

• “I watch body positive/neutral videos!” 

• “Eat what I want/enough. Cozy clothes. Comedy of any kind. Say nice things to myself.”

• “I try to remind myself that this feeling is only temporary and that if I can see past this ONE thing I’m fixating on, I’ll 1000% find something about myself I love that makes me feel good about myself, whether it’s physical or not.”

The moral of the story: bad days happen. They can’t all be winners. There are ways to get through our bad days (or bad weeks, or bad months), and we just have to remember that we aren’t alone in our struggles.

Go eeeeeeeeeeaaassssyyyyy on yourself.