Loving Your Naked Self
By: Christina Mckelvy
Tags: Self Care, Body Positive, Mental Health, Body Image, Self Love

Photo by Eugene Chystiakov on Unsplash

I am going to suggest a challenge that may be hard… it may be difficult… you might try to resist… it may be something you have never done before…

Looking at yourself naked, full frontal. No shame.

I know that you have seen yourself naked while jumping in the shower or getting ready, but have you ever really stopped and admired you in all of your natural form? Taken in the physical aspect that makes you… you? I personally do not know many people who think they have bodies that are a 100% perfect… but of course, if you do, good for you! Seriously, its hard to come to a point where you fully love all of you, and you should be celebrated.

Okay, back to the naked part —

Do you like yourself naked? When you stare at yourself do you smile and think how great you look? Or, do you grimace and critique every aspect of your body? Or do you say to yourself that you “got it”, and you are worthwhile, holding your head high. For myself, I know when I am in a negative mindset, when I think I have failed, when I choose to see who I think I am, instead of who I really am and who I can become, I can give up, I think I have failed or will fail, so why not act as I believe?

…I give up…

When I have confidence and see myself as someone important and beautiful, I make goals and achieve them, I hold my head higher. I end up loving myself more.

Looking at yourself naked makes you really appreciate who you are now, adds confidence. This is me NOW. You get to know yourself in an intimate way. Yes you may see things that you want to change — and that’s okay, but you will also notice things you love. It’s okay to notice parts of you that you may want to change. But it’s even better if we accept ourselves for who we are now. So I am going to share with you an exercise that can I feel help improve positive self image, body positivity.

This is me, I’m worthwhile, and I love me, now, past and present.

The Exercise

It’s best to this when you first get out of the shower. Make sure you have privacy, your partner and/or children, roommates, should be in the other room or away. If you have one, stand in front of a full length mirror. Take a few breaths and look. Pretend you are seeing yourself for the first time. What do you notice? Lean in and look at your eyes, your noise. Scan your face, have you noticed how defined your cheekbones are? Continue to scan your body, how strong are you? Do a little flex, what do you see? Look at your scars, do they each tell a different story about who you are? Do you have a scar you got when you were a child? Do you have one that you are particularly proud of? How about one that you wish you could hide, why? What memories does it bring, how can you reclaim those memories for good?

Look at your private area, yup sit down and really take a look. Ladies how many of you have actually looked down there? Look at your fingerprints, notice the individual pattern that has formed that is unique to just you. Turn around and scan your butt, your back, your caves. What are things you like about your body? Your hair? Feet? Toes? What about your collarbones? That mole on your inner thigh?

When you are finished, say to yourself that this is me, I’m worthwhile, and I love me, now, past and present.

Do this once a week, tell yourself you are worthwhile and loved. Stand in a superman pose and say it, it may be silly but it can work.

Self love starts with telling yourself how much you love yourself…all of you.