Reclaiming Body Peace: 7 Tips for Self-Acceptance This Summer
Author: Julia Duz, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
As the days get warmer and the layers come off, many of us are met with complicated feelings about our bodies. The pressure to look a certain way in summer is loud. It’s in ads, social media feeds, and sometimes even in the way people around us talk about their own bodies.
If you're feeling uneasy about how you look, or noticing that inner voice getting a little louder with criticism, please know you're not alone. This time of year often stirs uphold beliefs, insecurities, and comparisons that can be hard to shake. But here's the truth: you don’t have to love your body all the time to treat it with kindness. You don’t need to shrink, sculpt, or smooth yourself into worthiness. You already belong, just as you are.
Here are a few reflections and strategies that may help you move toward more confidence, acceptance, and compassion this summer.
1. Embrace Body Neutrality: Focus on Experience Over Appearance
Try asking yourself: What do I want to feel this summer? Instead of focusing on how your body looks, embrace body neutrality by focusing on how it feels to be in your body. Do you want to feel free? Comfortable? Energized? Grounded?
Body neutrality encourages us to value our bodies not for their appearance but for how they support us—moving us through the world, allowing us to connect, create, rest, and play.
2. Curate Your Social Media for Body Positivity
Your social media feed can either drain or nourish your relationship with yourself. Take time to unfollow accounts that promote unrealistic beauty standards or leave you feeling "less than." Follow folks who show up in their bodies with honesty, diversity, and joy. Representation matters. Seeing bodies that look like yours (and don’t look like yours) can foster body positivity and self-acceptance.
3. Build Self-Compassion Through Positive Self-Talk
That inner voice might not change overnight, especially if it’s been shaped by years of diet culture, racism, ableism, fatphobia, and other oppressive systems. But you can start to talk back.
Try this: when you catch yourself being harsh or judgmental, gently ask, Would I say this to someone I love? Then, experiment with a softer message, like: I deserve kindness even when I don’t feel good in my body, or My worth isn’t up for debate.
4. Wear What Feels Good on Your Body Now
You deserve to be comfortable in the present—not “when you lose the weight” or “once you feel confident.” Choose clothing that honors the body you’re in today. Clothing that makes you feel like you have to hide parts of yourself isn’t serving you.
5. Set Boundaries Around Body Talk
If you find yourself in conversations about dieting, “summer bodies,” or body shaming, it’s okay to step away or speak up. You might say: I’m working on my relationship with my body, and these kinds of conversations are hard for me right now.
Your boundaries are valid. You get to protect your peace.
6. Challenge the Systems Shaping Body Image
If it feels hard to feel good in your body, know that the problem isn’t you. It’s the systems that have taught us certain bodies are more valuable than others, rooted in racism, fatphobia, ableism, ageism, transphobia, and more. Healing doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens when we name and challenge these systems, both in ourselves and the world around us.
7. Celebrate What Your Body Makes Possible
Maybe your body lets you chase after your kids, garden in the sun, dance in your kitchen, or rest after a long day. Maybe it’s simply getting you through each moment, and that is enough. Celebrating the ways your body shows up for you can be a quiet act of resistance in a world that wants you to shrink.
There’s no “right” way to feel about your body. What matters most is that you treat yourself with care and dignity, regardless of how you feel on any given day. Some days will be harder than others. And you’re allowed to show up fully, even on the hard days.
This summer, may you move toward body peace. Not perfection. Not control. Just peace. You are enough. Exactly as you are.
What’s one step you’ll take toward body peace this summer? Share in the comments or explore more self-care tips on our blog.
Disclaimer:
This article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or a substitute for professional consultation. It's important to seek help from a qualified mental health professional. They can provide you with a personalized diagnosis, treatment plan, and support to manage your symptoms effectively.