How to be more confident about your body!

We’ve all heard that misery loves company, and it’s true! If you’re friends with someone who constantly rags on their own body, their self-hate may be affecting the way you view your own. The next time your friend brings up her body hang-up, tell her why she should learn to love and accept it, and turn the conversation around.

Discuss the things you love about your bodies vs. the things you loathe, and the positivity will spread like wildfire. Remember: the effect of a positive thought is so much greater than a negative one.

Women asked to listen carefully for the sound of their own heartbeat felt better about their bodies, found a study published in PLOSOne. It's common for women to think of their bodies as "objects," which can lead to negative self-assessments, the study authors says. But listening for your heartbeat seems to counteract this self-objectification, and so improves body image, they suggest.

Why not be as nice to yourself as you are to the people you love? "Think to yourself, 'would I say this to my best friend, or my sister, or my mother?'" Silverman says. "If you cannot imagine another human being who you love saying this to themselves or someone else talking to them that way, then how are you talking to yourself in that manner?"