“Comparison is the thief of joy” is a quote that has most often been attributed to both Christian writer Dwight Edwards and President Theodore Roosevelt. No matter who said it, the statement is true.

When you compare yourself to others, it makes you unhappy. It’s tempting to compare ourselves in so many different ways—the shape of your body, weight, grades, and popularity. You name it—the list can go on and on.

Here are some tips to help you feel more Body Confident!

1. Be Conscious. Just realizing you are doing it can help you stop it.  Sometimes we are comparing ourselves to others without even really realizing it. We feel blue, and don’t even realize why. Then, try grounding yourself. Place your hand on your heart. Feel your heartbeat. Or, look in the mirror. Your heartbeat is something that is unique to you.    
2. Challenge the Direction. With comparison, we often look at people upwardly to people of greater status or downwardly to people less well off than themselves/better. When your mind wants to force you to look up or down, instead, look across. Remind yourself that, “I am different, not better or worse.”  Remember the saying, “apples and oranges–” they are both fruit but very different from one another—totally unfair to compare. Differences make the world unique and interesting. Imagine a world with clones of each other walking around looking exactly the same—boring!  The image could make you laugh a little!
3. Be realistic. If you are getting the body image blues from scrolling social media remind yourself that these images are curated—carefully picked, filtered, or even chosen from a dozen. 
4. Limit Your Time. Because social media can be damaging to your mental and physical health, give yourself a time limit to be on social media. It’s easy to compare yourself while scrolling through people’s pictures.  Remember that these pictures only show you what people want you to see.
5. Stand Tall. Before you leave the house, stand in a superwoman pose for 3 minutes—which has been clinically shown to improve your confidence level.
6. Unfollow: It’s perfectly fine to unfollow someone who is a detriment to your body image. Simply unfollow or hide them on your feed so the images aren’t constantly popping up. 
7. Change Your Viewpoint: If you notice your eyes evaluating how someone looks in their skinny jeans, refocus on something neutral in the room.  A piece of artwork, a different person. You control what you see and think about.
8. Compare To Yourself: You grow and change each day.  Try to be the best version of you. 
9. Comfort is key. Squeezing into uncomfortable clothing will make you more conscious of your own body and others in a negative way.  
10. Save the competition for your sporting events. Instead of competing with others, appreciate and compliment others.  Appreciate more, compete less. 

Originally posted on www.eatingmindfully.com

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