Badassery Magazine June 2018 Issue 25 | Page 21

finding one in your area. If you want to get a little more active, you could look into the World Naked Bike Ride. 6. Say your affirmations Words are powerful; they have the power to shape the way we view ourselves. Say something nice to yourself every chance you get. do you? Actionable step: Set aside time to look at your naked body in the mirror, and tell yourself what you love about yourself. Tell yourself that you are well, smart, and loved. Do it every day, and tell me if your feelings towards yourself don’t change. Loads of women find comfort in holding their breasts. They’re warm! I give myself hugs and rub my arms—it makes me feel better. Actionable step: Touch yourself wherever you feel like. Remember this: Clothes aren’t nat- ural. Ditch them once in a while. It does the mind good. 7. Touch yourself When I lived in Macau, my house was filled with positive affirma- tions on sticky notes. I placed them on the areas I looked at on the daily, like the front door, the fridge, my closet, etc. This point kind of touches on the first one. But, this time, I want you to see with your hands. There is great power in touch. Touch can lower blood pressure, y’all. I’ve become my best friend, and I tell myself that I love myself every chance I get. In order to truly see our beauty, we must see beyond our physical appearance. I see my character, with all my flaws, but I know there is something wonder- ful inside this house. When your house has a crack, you don’t start hating the family that lives inside, I couldn’t seem to find research on self-touch. If you Google “the benefits of touching yourself,” all you’ll see are articles on self-plea- sure, which is great, but not exact- ly what I was looking for. This step doesn’t require you to touch your privates or any area that arouses you. I mean, touch your arms, your legs, chest, etc. After your shower, rub lotion on your skin and chill. We all need naked time. I actually wrote this article naked. (Kidding!)  Magda Ayuk is a self-care and financial literacy advocate. She’s a Huffington Post contributor, a poet and an avid Instagrammer. After saving 20K in a year, she created “5 Days to 5K.” a free 5-day e-mail course that teaches aspiring/ emerging entrepreneurs how to save at least $5,000 a year. magdaayuk.com    Magda Ayuk 20