How to love your body - by Matilda Djerf

Swedish beauty Matilda Djerf shares her thoughts on loving your body and embracing your unique traits. We want to share this with you because we want you all to know how beautiful you are.

Accept your body. Number one rule to loving yourself is accepting yourself. I've been insecure about my hips and I always used to put my energy into hating them. "Ugh, I can't wear this bikini, or this tight dress etc" I then decided to fuel that hate into love. "Wow my hips looks really good in this dress etc". Instead of hiding my hips I started showing them off. And I would give myself compliments for the things I was insecure about. Accept how you look because you are YOU.

Treat yourself the way you would treat your best friend. You wouldn't tell your best friend she is ugly, or that she can't wear a bikini because of her cellulite. You would tell her she is beautiful because of them and to own them! And this is what you need to tell yourself too. You need to respect yourself and your body, and feed it with love - not hate.

Size is just a number. I've said it before, and i'll say it again. "Size is just a number" is a quote to live by. If you don't like the way the size 8 jeans hug your curves buy a size 10. Feeling comfortable in your clothes is crucial to feeling confidence. At the end of the day, a number is just a number. Cut out the tag if it bothers you. Wear a size smaller if it hugs your curves better. Wear a size bigger if you want them to be more comfortable. Whatever feels good for YOU!

Work out but treat yourself. Work out, move your body. If it's dancing or running or lifting weights. Do what fits your body and your mind the best. Eat healthy. But also treat yourself. One cookie won't make you fat. And one salad bowl won't make you skinny. It's all about BALANCE. If you one week don't feel like working out, don't. And please don't beat yourself up about it. If you one week feel like working out everyday, do. And be proud! Let yourself indulge and let yourself breathe.

Give yourself compliments. Like I mentioned before, give yourself compliments. Remind yourself what you love about your body. And say it out loud. Twice. Or even three times. Write it down and look back at it if you're having a bad day. And remember, life is to short not to be comfortable in your own skin.

Celebrate each other. It's so easy for us girls to sit at the dinner table and complain about what we don't like about our bodies. Stop joining in and stop comparing. Instead, start celebrating your bodies. And start by telling your friends what you love about your body and their bodies. Celebrate your natural beauty!

Stop waiting to reach your goal. "I just need to loose a few pounds, I just need my tummy to be flatter". NO! Start enjoying life now. Life is happening as we speak, start enjoying it.

And most importantly stop thinking you don't matter because your looks or the size of your body. YOU DO. And you are so unique and beautiful. With your flaws and your perfections. Let's celebrate cellulite, let's celebrate rolls on the belly, let's celebrate uneven hips, let's celebrate small lips, big lips. Small boobs, big boobs. Let's celebrate hips, or no hips. Let's celebrate thighs and butts and back fat. Let's celebrate it all, let's celebrate each other!

For more inspiration from Matilda read What I've learnt about following my dreams.