As summer break comes up, and the temperature rises,  one of the most important things to remember is self love! 

We all have insecurities, things we don’t like about ourselves. But we can never get past those insecurities without learning to let go of the thoughts that come with them. 

Take off those cardigans, hoodies, etc! Let the fat show, let the rolls out, let your belly hang out! If people have something to say about that beautiful body of yours, you walk away and put your head up high!

Sometimes yeah, you’ll have thoughts about what they said or how they looked at you. It hurts. The shame that people put out into the world in order to push unrealistic beauty standards that don’t apply to everyone hurts. But the best thing to remember is that the people that shame you, hurt you, belittle you, they won’t matter in a year or 10 years. Even if it’s family that doesn’t like when you’re comfortable in your own skin, their job is to love you unconditionally. If they can’t do that, they don’t deserve you. You deserve to be loved! You deserve to practice self love! And to all the plus sized beauties, you deserve to take up space! 

There are always doubts like “Well everyone says that, it doesn’t mean it’s true.” or “I’m still insecure regardless of the amount of compliments people give me.” It’s best to let go of those doubts and negative thoughts! It can be hard, learning to love yourself after so long, but you can do it. All it takes is that first step. 

When you let somebody hurt you, when you let yourself feel hurt by their body comments or their looks or even their body language, you give them the power to do it again. Don’t let somebody stand in the way of your self love! 

A good thing to maybe look into if you have personal body issues is drag. Drag is a form of art and celebration that really just lets people enjoy and express themselves. No matter your size, height, looks, etc. Anybody can do drag! That’s what makes it art. Watching it can make people feel so much better about themselves and have the courage to go out without covering up in hot weather.

A thing to remember, It’s also bad for your health to cover up so much in the sun! It’s hot outside! Take that sweater off and let your beautiful body breathe! You don’t want to suffer a heat stroke or a heat cramp, don’t let insecurities and intrusive thoughts be the reason you get hurt. 

There’s currently a Tiktok trend going around. It’s where people remind themselves that when they’re mean to themselves, they’re being mean to every version of themselves. Including themself as a child, themself as a kid, etc. And they show pictures of themselves throughout life, and how much they’ve grown and how sad it makes them that they learned to have such negative feelings towards themselves, and it’s sad, but it reminds them that they have parts of themselves that they love. The message is really strong and helps people remember to practice self love! 

Even if it’s hard to learn to love every part of yourself, and let other people see that, you won’t ever see yourself differently without taking the first step to do so. Reminding yourself of one thing you love about yourself, your body, your life, etc each day is a good way to start. Say something new everyday and if you can’t, repeat the thing you said the day before until you find something new! 

Another good thing to practice this summer to avoid feeling insecure or having negative thoughts about yourself is to AVOID SOCIAL MEDIA! Many of the celebrities, models, T.V. stars, etc that fit western beauty standards are NOT realistic! It should not be someone’s goal to look like them, as it can be extremely toxic and unhealthy, and promotes health disorders that only hurt that person in the end. Your body is beautiful the way it is! 

So put on that two piece! Let the rolls out! Let your belly hang! Show those arms! Show that cellulite! Put your head up, chin raised high, and enjoy that hot weather without worrying about what other people think! They don’t matter. You are the most important person to yourself. Protect yourself. Love yourself. 

Check out the infographic below to see ways you can appreciate yourself this summer break!