Embrace Your Nakedness: And Learn to Love Who You Are

How well do you know your body? Do you feel comfortable in your skin? Do you spend time loving yourself just as you are? Are you happy with yourself, or are there things you wish you could change?

Did you know that taking the time to be naked (and no, I don’t mean as you make a mad dash for the towel after a shower) can boost your self-esteem and encourage self-acceptance and self-love? So, whether you are entirely at ease in your nakedness or whether you feel somewhat self-conscious, including some healthy naked time should become an essential part of your self-care routine.

For some of us, since our impressionable and self-conscious teenage years, we have learnt to internalise the idea of what the perfect body is. Our eager eyes soaked up photos of fashion models and celebrities and, somewhere along the line, we realised that our body did not match up to the images of nakedness we saw around us. Without even realising it, we started to hold onto feelings of shame because we compared ourselves to others. We never learned how to honour and appreciate how beautiful and unique our body truly is.

Your body is a most amazing and perfect creation. It carries you through the years of your life, showcasing the physical manifestations of your experiences. Learning how to celebrate exactly how you look without feelings of shame or inadequacy is sometimes not easy. Still, it is what we all deserve because learning to love ourselves exactly as we are, without hiding ourselves, encourages a profound and liberating acceptance that we can then share with others. When we can love ourselves unconditionally, we are clearing the space for others to love us, too. Being naked can sometimes take a little (or a lot!) of courage, but facing the challenge will come with many benefits for your mind, body and spirit.

Here are a few tips for being naked, when it makes you feel a tad uncomfortable, and why you should take the plunge and bare all:

If you spend next to no time looking at your naked self in the mirror, it can make you feel very uncomfortable when you catch a glimpse of your reflection. Try spending several minutes every day looking at yourself naked. Think about what you do and don’t like about your body and explore why. Repeat this every day and gradually you will start to see your body in a more positive light. This is the act of exposure therapy that helps to normalise nudity and reframe it as nothing to feel ashamed or embarrassed about.
Take time to enjoy the pleasure of sensual touch. If you have a partner, spend time caressing each other’s skin. Skin-to-skin contact helps promote oxytocin in the body which is known as the love hormone. Doing this will make you appreciate how amazing it is to have a body that you can share and enjoy with another. By yourself, you can also stroke and caress your skin, and it will give you a similar feeling of love and warmth.
Make a routine of being naked at home. Whether it’s air-drying after a shower or cooking dinner in your birthday suit, use this time as a time to reconnect with yourself and practise self-acceptance. Unburden yourself of judgement and expectations. When you feel comfortable in your skin, you exude more confidence which is sexy.
Make it a symbolic practice. When you remove layers of clothing, you are symbolically removing the burdens you face in the outside world. Being naked at home can give you a wonderful sense of freedom and a safe space to be yourself, which can relieve stress.
Be naked with your partner in a non-sexual way. Being naked around your partner helps foster a deeper connection and intimacy through honesty, trust, and acceptance.
Sleep naked. Relieving your skin of clothing can help your skin breathe. This can result in fewer skin irritations, and it will support your body’s natural ability to detox.

It’s perfectly normal to feel a little fearful of being naked, especially around other people. Still, dedicating yourself to a daily practice of naked time, even if it is just for a few minutes after a shower, can positively affect how you see yourself. You will get in touch with the real you, without shame or fear.

Nobody has a perfect body, and learning to appreciate how incredible and capable you are is an important act of self-love. When we value and treat our bodies with respect, we communicate to others to value us and treat our body with respect. So, time to get naked and connect with all those feelings you have about your body and reframe them into positive affirmations of self-acceptance and love.