Summer Confidence

Summer is the main time of year where the sun comes out and so do the shorts, dresses, bikinis etc. and it can be really hard to be confident at the same time as being comfortable.

Sometimes the summer heat is very hot, even in the UK it can be very warm *she says sarcastically* no, it can sometimes to be honest. So, as a result of the warm weather, we have to wear clothing that keeps us cool. I think this is really hard for a lot of people because sun and heat often means showing off a little more skin than usual and that's hard for everyone. There's always a time when everyone has thought or felt they didn't look good in something, or didn't want to show their legs or belly for whatever reason. So, I want to discuss today how to stay confident and comfortable in summer! Because although we want to feel confident in what we're wearing, we also have to be comfortable and wearing all black everything sometimes isn't the best in the heat!

How Do I Stay Confident In Summer?...

I think a lot of people assume that I'm an extremely body-confident person because in summer, and sometimes in the cooler months, I wear skirts, shorts, crop tops etc. However, there are times when I really don't feel that confident in what I'm wearing, even if I look it. If I don't feel 100% confident in a crop top, shorts, dress whatever, I try to ignore it and just get on with it and tell myself I do look good and that outfit will keep me cool and get me a tan at the same time. Often, that's enough to get me out the door and feel good in it. However, having said that this doesn't always happen. Girls are known for changing their outfit 4 and 5 times before finally deciding on one outfit, sometimes even more, and that's what I do sometimes. 

I think it's important to try and make yourself feel confident in an outfit, but at the same time you shouldn't push yourself to wear something you aren't comfortable in. If you go out in a pair of shorts you feel shows off too much of your legs and can't get that thought out of your head, whatever you are doing that day will suck because all you'll be thinking about is how you look. Wear what you are comfortable in, but make sure it is weather appropriate. 

Another way I stay confident in summer is exercise. I have recently been going to the gym quite a lot and I have also frequently been doing ab exercises and work outs at home in my bedroom. It might not sound like it would bring confidence, but you'd be surprised at how much it helps. You may not notice any physical changes, but mentally you know that you've worked hard to wear that dress, and you look damn good in it. Sometimes just knowing you've tried to tone up or whatever you wanted to do is enough, even if it hasn't worked as well as you'd hoped. My plan this summer was to have a fully toned stomach, I've worked for it because I've done more ab workouts than I've ever done before, but it hasn't exactly shown the results I had seen in my head. But, you have to remember sometimes the vision you have in your head of how you want to look isn't possible. For example, I still look at models in magazines and say 'I wish my stomach looked that good' and then I remember, theirs probably doesn't even look that good. I guess the key to what I'm saying here is to mentally boost your confidence, with a few physical changes. 

What Outfits Do I Feel Comfortable And Confident In?

So in this section of the post, I'm going to select a few random photos from various times, even various years, of summer outfits that I've worn and felt confident in and hopefully this will show you how you can stay cool, and be confident all at the same time!

So here's the first outfit which I wore a couple of weeks ago when I went to the beach with my friends for the day. Here all I'm wearing is a little white halterneck crop top from Primark and a pair of thin cotton floral shorts, also from Primark. I'm starting off in the deep end here with a crop top and shorts but I feel really confident in this outfit because I think the top goes with the shorts really well and I generally like the outfit all together. If you like it, why are you contemplating wearing it? 

Okay so this is quite an old photo of me - really going through the old Facebook profile pics for this - but I think it's a really good one for confidence and comfort in summer. The Jack Daniels tank top is quite covering, just a little bit of arms and chest on show and having it tucked into my denim shorts from Primark, which I no longer own, makes it feel and look like it's covering even more. I also put tights on with this which means my legs aren't on show but it also means they don't get too hot!

Another really old one, apologies you can't see my face, although I'm not entirely sure that's a bad thing... Anyway, I love this dress but sadly it doesn't fit me anymore, this photo was taken about 2 and a half years ago! It's a super cute floral pattern and the frills make it look even cuter! It was quite a short dress but it was super comfortable and it kept me cool when it was really hot so it did it's job! 

So, there's a few outfits that I felt really comfortable in but also very confident about myself!

How Can YOU Stay Confident AND Comfortable This Summer?

So finally I want to just give some general tips on how to be confident and comfortable just to sum this post up! 

If you like an outfit, wear it. You wear clothes for yourself, no one else.

Be mentally confident. You do look good, I promise.

Only wear what YOU feel comfortable in. If you really don't, don't wear it.

Try to step out of your comfort zone at least once, even if it's only a little bit.

Stop thinking about it.

Do something that will make you feel better about it, e.g. exercise or healthy eating.

Do some research about your figure, work out what figure you have and find clothes that suit that style! I find it really helps!

And that's about it I guess! I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope it gave you some confidence to step out of your clothing comfort zone this summer!

What do you do to stay confident?

Love, Becca

-xoxo

This post is part of a little blogger series I'm taking part in called the "Secret Blogger Project 2015" run by teen bloggers Emily, Rebekka and Charlotte. About 30 of us will be writing twice a week on selected little lifestyle topics and you can also go onto the Twitter and Instagram hashtag "#secretbp2015" to have a little chat and view everyone's posts. If you would like to join or know more (we'd love to have you!) Instagram DM @theperks0fbeingemily or if you don't have Instagram, send a quick email to rebekkarosebeautyxo@gmail.com.

Accepting Me

Teenagers and young girls have so much pressure on being “perfect” from the media these days, and the truth is, it’s dangerous. Not many teenage girls know how to be confident anymore because no one knows what confidence is anymore, many believe it doesn’t even exist.

Today I want to talk to you about how I stay confident in the hope that some of you guys might be able to do the same, in your own way or in a similar way to me.

BE YOURSELF

How could you be confident in your own body without being who you really are? If you like that dress, buy it and wear it with every bit of pride you have in you. Heck, buy those shoes to go with it too. If you like something, wear it or use it. Were all so wound up in a world where the world’s opinion matters more than your own. The truth is ladies, no one really cares what you wear or what you do, they’re too busy focussing on themselves. Don’t waste your life trying to be who everyone else wants you to be and just be you. God made you perfect in YOUR OWN WAY, so embrace it. The world is your oyster, make the most of it and leave your footprint.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY

Some people think confidence is all internal and it’s a very individual thing, but if you are constantly putting yourself in a position where you’re with people who aren’t making you happy, who you don’t have fun with, you’re going to notice more things to doubt about yourself. You’ll start thinking you don’t fit in, that there’s something wrong with you because you don’t like the same things they do etc. There’s nothing wrong with you, and you do fit in. You just need to find the right people to make you feel like you fit in, and I promise you once you find those people, you will feel so much more  confident in yourself within a group.

SMILE

Everyone likes to see someone with a smile on their face. It even feels good to know you have a smile on your face yourself. If you look at life with a frown, everything will be much greyer leading you to feeling like everyone in the whole world is out to ruin your day. Look at yourself in the mirror, smile and tell yourself how good your butt looks in those jeans you bought a year ago but never had the confidence to wear because you thought ‘your butt looked big in them’. I promise you, your butt looks fine. Smiling could also make someone else feel more confident. If someone smiles at me in the street, I feel more confident in myself as a person as they clearly felt I looked like a nice, friendly person to smile at. So I smile back, and that is one of the best feelings in the world. You might just brighten someone else’s day too! It’s been proven that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile, save your energy.

EAT WHAT YOU WANT

The biggest problem relating to body confidence is weight, size, shape etc. and THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT. People all over this world are all different shapes and sizes because we were made to be different. Those girls you see in the magazines don’t really look like that. Their boobs and bums aren’t actually that big, their waists aren’t that tiny and they aren’t that curvy and toned. Yes, they may be pretty and have a pretty good figure, but before you see those photos they are edited so much, it could be a different person in some cases. Eating that chocolate bar will not make you gain 10 stone, so why exaggerate? You don’t need to go on a diet and you don’t need to do extreme amounts of exercise. Yes eating healthy and keeping yourself fit and in shape is perfect. But don’t overdo it.

DO WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD

In order to be a confident person you have to do what makes YOU feel good. If doing some light exercise makes you feel a bit more body confident, do it. If getting on that crowded train makes you feel more confident in a public place, do it. Do whatever you feel you can to be more confident physically and mentally because you only get one life, so why live it wishing you looked like someone else or thought like someone else. If you feel good about something you are so much more likely to feel more confident in yourself during doing that and after you’ve done it. There’d also be a huge sense of pride, and if you don’t see it, no one else will. Be proud of yourself and let the whole world know it!

So that’s it, I think confidence is a huge issue at the moment for teenage girls specifically, all striving for perfection that doesn’t even exist. It’s a stupid dream no one should spend their whole life worrying about because EVERYONE IS PERFECT and I love you all.

I hope you enjoyed this post and if it helped one of you, then I am a very happy girl indeed.

I want you all to do something for me… I want you to do all of the things I’ve discussed in this post, even if you just try it quickly. You never know, it might make a difference. Even if just one of the five things helps you, it’s a brilliant thing for you so be happy about it. If you can complete one of these things successfully and feel good about it afterwards, you’ve done something amazing for yourself and I hope this has helped.

See you soon

Love, Becca

-xoxo