5 Ways to Feel More Comfortable in Your Own Skin

Remember how much your body does for you, every day. Try to focus on what your body can actually do rather than what it looks like. Perhaps your body has helped to produce another human being (how amazing is that?) or maybe it's done magical things like help you run marathons or climb mountains. It's quite possible it simply keeps you alive and allows you to just be, and that's fine, too. Write a thank you note to your body; it deserves it.

Without sounding too cliché, much of the time, you have the power to improve your attitude to the situation you're in. Believe it or not, it's your decision whether you want to follow the norm and spend hours criticizing yourself, or whether you're willing to go your own path and learn to love yourself. The first step is to stop mentally tearing yourself apart. Simply decide not to do it anymore, and check yourself when you accidentally slip up. You're the one in control.

Before you can feel comfortable in your own skin, you need to feel comfortable in your mind. It's vital you spend time on you. Try to do things you like to do, as opposed to doing things you think you should do. Try yoga, meditation, or simply have a digital detox — time away from your phone is always a good thing, especially with the constant perils and pressures of social media.

Everyone has that one friend who's constantly putting themselves down, and they probably inadvertently put you down too (even if they don't realise it). Although they don't mean to do this, they can't help how they feel. What's important is that you try to not be bogged down by their own personal self-loathing. Don't let their negativity rub off on you. Support your friends, but try to surround yourself with positive people who lift you up and make you feel good about yourself.

Never underestimate the power of a smile! Make an effort to smile more, even if you don't want to. When we smile, we're sending happy signals back to the brain, which in turn increases our happy hormones, and having happy hormones makes us happy all round.