Body Confidence (When Your Body’s Been Through Hell)
- Lisa Dunk
- May 20
- 1 min read
Cancer does a number on your body.
Scars. Hair loss. Weight gain or loss. Skin changes. Ports and PICC lines. Missing parts. Strange aches.
You don’t just wake up and “love your body” after all that.
And that’s okay.
Body confidence after cancer isn’t about pretending to adore every inch of yourself. It’s about rebuilding trust with the body you’re living in.
Body Confidence ≠ Body Love
The pressure to “love your body” can actually feel like just one more thing you’re failing at.
What if you focused on respect instead?
Can you respect what your body’s been through?
Can you offer compassion instead of criticism, even for one day?
That’s where confidence starts.
Not in the mirror—but in how you talk to yourself about what you see.
Two Ways to Build Body Confidence Now
1. Stop making your body the villain.
Your body didn’t choose cancer. It’s not out to get you. Start noticing when you talk about it like it’s the enemy—and shift into curiosity instead of blame.
2. Choose neutral over negative.
You don’t have to go from “I hate this” to “I love it.” Try:
“This is what I look like today.”
“This part feels unfamiliar, but it’s part of me.”
“I’m learning to live in this version of my body.”
Neutral is a win.
The Bottom Line
You don’t have to wait for your body to “bounce back” to feel confident.
You can build confidence now—in the body you have, with the skin you’re in, and the scars you didn’t ask for.
Your body’s here.
That alone is worth some respect.
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