This is a guest post for my “Getting Real” series. On this blog, we provide “pure human content,” and truly get real. I wanted to give other bloggers the opportunity to come on here and get real with me! I am so excited for the opportunity to invite other bloggers to join me and share their life experience and big feels. Interested in sending over a guest post and being part of the “Getting Real” series? Send me an email!

Now without further ado, let’s get real…

I’m so excited to feature on Renata’s blog today, and her posts offering insight into the lives of bloggers and writers are so fantastic to read. I wanted to talk about learning to accept my body, and the steps I have taken to slowly learn to accept and love my body.

Ever since I was a teenager, I have struggled with acne- and it got progressively “worse” in my second year of University. As well as being painful and sore, it wrecked my self-confidence- to the point that I would cry every time I took off my make-up, and spend hours squinting at my face in the mirror at night. 

And don’t get me wrong, I still do that sometimes. Learning to accept your body is never an easy journey- whether you feel self-conscious about your weight, your skin, or anything else. We all perceive our “flaws” as worse than they are, and if we’re ever going to be happy we need to find some form of acceptance in our lives.

Below I’ve put together 5 steps and (hopefully) helpful tips that I’ve found have helped me learn to accept my skin, and gradually start to get to a place of self-acceptance.

1. Put the mirror away

One of the best ways to start accepting how you look is to stop analysing yourself in the mirror all the time.

Stop looking at your face from every angle when you pass a mirror. I’m not saying you need to avoid every mirror you see- but try looking in it while saying something positive about yourself, or try and enjoy your day without constantly checking up on your skin. 

Never let your skin be a reason to not enjoy your day!

2. Distract yourself

When you’re having a bad skin day, the worst thing you can do is spend all day stressing about why your skin is so “bad” today. In fact, stress definitely won’t help your skin and may even cause you to break-out if stress is one of your triggers.

So when you’re feeling down about your skin, try to distract yourself with something fun, and let your skin issues take a backseat.

3. Take action

When my skin got to a very low point, I knew I finally needed to take some physical action. I went on medication and started to really improve my skincare and diet. 

Now I’m no doctor and I’ve still not found a winning combination of things that help my skin- but just taking that action felt like a very positive move- and I know one day I’ll have a routine that will keep my skin firmly under control.

4. Do what makes you confident

For some people, wearing make-up makes them feel confident about their skin. For others, they like to wear certain clothes that flatter their body. As long as you accept that you can do and wear what you want- there’s nothing wrong with wearing what makes you confident! 

Put on make-up if you’re doing it for the right reasons, or wear a low-cut top if that’s what you like to wear.

5. Find your people

Unfortunately, as you try to accept your skin or body and find ways to improve your self-image, there will be people who bring you down. It’s important to focus on your own journey- and find people who understand what you’re going through, or who support your journey.

I’ve found the skin-positive Instagram community a fantastic place to find acceptance. This community promotes the idea that it is okay to show your bare face- and no one should be afraid to discuss their acne. It’s a brilliant place to find like-minded individuals, and I would recommend finding supportive and kind communities where you can.

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I really do believe that everyone can find self-acceptance when it comes to their body or skin. It can be hard in a society where “perfect” bodies are everywhere- but even that is starting to change in adverts and the media.

Learning to find self-acceptance is about looking out for your body and mind in equal measure, and improving your mentality is half the battle to being happy with your body.

I really recommend trying to find a few new ways to make you comfortable and happy in your body, and remember that everyone’s journey is different.

Eleanor x

Author Bio:
Eleanor is a blogger and writer from the UK who loves to write about lifestyle topics on her blog every week. She works for her local University, and regularly writes for magazines and other publications in her spare time. You can find her on Twitter or check out her blog.

Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash