Tips to Improve Your Body Image:

Wear clothes you feel comfortable in. Don't wear clothes that feel too tight or restrict movement. Don't hold off on buying clothes you like -- do it now! Dress to express yourself, not to impress others. You should feel good in what you wear.

Cut labels out of your clothes. The size on the tags shouldn't dictate your mood for the day!

Stay away from the scale -- as a matter of fact, get rid of it! If your weight needs to be monitored, leave that up to the doctors. How much you weigh should never affect your self-esteem or your sense of who you are.

Make a "why I like myself" list. Think of all the things about YOU that you like -- are you honest? Creative? Intelligent? Compassionate? Loyal? Kind? Think of all the reasons you deserve to love yourself and write them down. Hang the list up next to the mirror as a reminder that these things are what make you truly beautiful.

Take risks to challenge yourself. Think of things you normally wouldn't do and try them (you'll find out that the world won't cave in) -- leave the house without makeup, get a wild new haircut, spend all day in your pajamas or go out to run an errand in them. The point is, your makeup, hair and clothes do not make you who you are! Prove it!

Go places you'd never go alone. Ever go to a movie by yourself? Or enjoy a cup of coffee at the local cafe and read the paper? How about a fancy restaurant, dinner for one? These are treasured experiences, time spent with yourself, and that is the first person you need to get to know and love spending time with. Take the risk and try it!

Stay alert to fighting negative self-talk. When that little voice of doom pops up in your mind trying to remind you how horrible you think you are, have a strategy for turning those negatives to positives. No one is perfect! When you find yourself being self critical immediately stop and pay yourself a compliment!

Stay active. Movement therapy is something that helps improve everyone's sense of being. Take up Yoga or Tai' Chi. Join a Karate class. Take a thirty-minute walk three days a week. The possibilities are endless. Be active and enjoy life!

Ask for a hug when you need it. Sometimes there is no better therapy then a hug and a kind word from someone that cares about you, but our loved-ones aren't mind readers! Tell them when you're having a bad day and ask for a hug, a shoulder to lean on, or an ear to listen.

Protect the child in you. Look at children around you now -- would you criticize them for being themselves? Are you focused on the weight of a five-year-old while you watch them play with friends? Wouldn't you protect a child being picked on? Well you don't deserve to be picked on either, and you don't deserve to be picked on by yourself!

Remind yourself that the people who truly love you, love you for YOU, not for what you look like.

Remind yourself that looking healthy is something positive. It means that you are well rested, eating right and nurturing your soul. It means no more than that, and no less than that.

Remember the whole world... We are all different and we're supposed to be that way. It would be an incredibly boring world if we all looked exactly the same. It's a truly special experience to look around and realize that everyone is beautiful, no matter what size, color or gender they are. There is beauty in everyone, and that includes you! You are breathtaking. Body and soul – you are marvelously made. What a creation!