1. Give it food that tastes good—sometimes heart healthy food, and sometimes food that just makes your belly happy.

2. Speak words of kindness in your head when you get ready in the morning.

3. Smile at your reflection in the mirror.

4.Wipe off your makeup tenderly, appreciating every smile-wrinkle and cheek crease.

5. Put on clothing that makes you feel confident.

6. Lovingly lather it with lotion, with cream, with cocoa butter, with soap.

7. Stop telling it negative things, or all the ways it could change or improve.

8. Throw away those shorts that are too tight and replace them with shorts that accentuate your curves.

9. Be patient with it, for you are only human.

10. Get a pedicure or manicure for no reason.

11. Quit wishing to be someone else.

12. Go for a walk or run.

13. Teach yourself that your skin is merely temporary, and who you are is not defined by your outer, physical shell.

14. Celebrate small victories, like a good hair day or a motivated workout.

15. See your imperfections as pieces of your character, not flaws to be ashamed of.

16. Clothe it in ways that accent your personality, rather than your ‘shape.’

17. Remind yourself that there is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ body, but an ever-changing, growing, evolving, beautifully blemished body.

18. Give it attention and care, not in the way that you are constantly trying to improve, but that you are always finding ways to appreciate where you are, while still striving for more self-love.

19. Stop agonizing over every calorie and instead eat, drink, and relish in time spent with people who love you.

20. Do not see exercise or healthy eating as a chore but as a step in giving yourself the care you need.

21. Remind yourself that what has happened to you does not define you, and begin rebuilding, day by day, your sense of self.

22. Do not be afraid to start over, to rewind, to shed the skin you’re in and become someone new.

23. Fuel it with energy-sustaining food, with exercise, with positivity, with toughness and tenderness.

24. Know that there will be days when you do not love your body, when you do not appreciate it, and it’s okay to. One day at a time.

25. Remember that you are a body, yes, but you are also a soul. And as you learn to love your body, know that your soul is, and will always be who you are. And that soul is beautiful.