As a plus-sized woman, it seems that the most common "compliment" that I get is, "Wow! You're so confident!" My answer is always this: "Why wouldn't I be?"

You see, plus-sized women are so often made to feel like our confidence is in spite of our "flaws" rather than because of them. I'm going to lay this out on the table right now: I love myself. I am a size 16 and proud to be a member of the crop-top loving community. It breaks my heart when I meet women of any shape, size, disability, etc., that feels like they aren't allowed to love themselves.

For those of you who feel like you can't love yourself and your body (for whatever reason that may be), I have compiled a list of tried and true self-care techniques that I, myself, employ on a regular basis. This is by no means a complete and comprehensive list, but they are ten ways to start your journey to self-love and confidence. Even on those bad days (you know, those days when your period bloat is out of control, nothing you try on seems to fit, you feel like your life is either painfully stagnant or out of control...) it is important that you take measures to remind yourself that you are worthy of love not only from other people, but you are worthy of love from yourself.

Here are 10 Ways to Love Yourself... Even when those bad days hit hard.

1. Find yourself an outfit that you feel fierce in, no matter what.

I remember having "dress-up days" when I was in elementary school. Our guidance counselor started the tradition of wearing dresses, coats and ties, and shiny shoes every Friday. Her reasoning was, "When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you do good!" Grammatical faux pas aside, this is something that I've carried with me from third grade all the way to my senior year of college. It's so true! When you wear an outfit that you feel fierce in, your confidence level goes up, and your whole day suddenly seems a lot more manageable than if you had decided to slum it in sweats to class. Plus, those compliments that you're bound to get through the day because of your outfit and newfound fierce attitude really help to propel you as you go.

Now this go-to outfit does not have include a dress, coat, tie, shiny shoes, or anything that makes you feel ridiculous. Comfort is key, so make sure that whatever you pick, you're not constantly adjusting throughout the day. Having to pull down your skirt or fix your shoe strap every ten minutes can really put a damper on the day. Your outfit doesn't have to be pricey, either! My go-to is always this pair of jeans that makes my butt look fabulous from Old Navy and a black Audrey Hepburn-in-Funny-Face turtleneck that I found at Target a few years ago. Slap on a pair of cute boots and the hallways are suddenly my runways. What you choose may be totally different. Maybe your go-to will be a body con dress and stilettos! Maybe it will be chinos, a polo, and your favorite sneakers! As long as you feel good, you will exude the confidence of a thousand Beyoncés. This is a scientific fact, I'm pretty sure.

2. Develop a mantra.

Never underestimate the power of positive thinking. They say that the more you hear something said, the more you are inclined to believe it. This is also true for what you tell yourself. The more you pick at yourself for your imperfections, the more those will grow in your mind until they are unbearable. Turn this around, try out a little exercise that I started doing a couple of a years ago that literally changed how I talk to myself. Every morning, think of one thing you really like about yourself. Write it down. Put it in a journal, on a Post-It, write it in your foggy mirror after your shower. This is your mantra for the day. Repeat it to yourself every chance you get. Every time that you notice yourself thinking negative thoughts about who your body or who you are as a person, grab that Post-It or think back to that journal entry, and repeat it.

Your mantra can be long-winded and poetic, or it can be as simple as, "I am really good at listening to people," or "My eyeliner is on point today." Just one thing. Try it out to start, and then once you get used to accepting compliments from yourself, start integrating more positivity in how you talk to yourself. Notice what you're good at. Stop to marvel the qualities that make you unique. Take stock of what is not good and that is fixable, and make a plan for what you can do to further yourself as a good human being. Find opportunities to tell yourself these things, and let the love pour in. This is a slow process, so don't expect to repeat your mantra once and suddenly have a god-complex. It takes time to accept the things you can't chance, but once you do, show grace to yourself by celebrating these things.

3. Find your inspiration.

We've all had that moment when we see someone that looks a lot like us out in the world, rocking whatever it is they do and publicly celebrating themselves, and feeling like if we could just be like them, everything would be okay. Find these people that make you feel this way, but instead of wishing that you were them, find qualities about them that you admire and that you can emulate. The media bombards us with images of what "the perfect body" should look like or traits that "all guys want in a woman" and yet it is rare that normal people are celebrated for loving who they are. It seems like as time goes on there are more and more full-figured women in the media, but comparatively speaking, even normal body types are the minority in what we are presented with on TV, in movies, and on magazine covers. I am all about normalizing normal people and normal bodies (even though it strikes me as horribly frustrating that we have to push to normalize normal), and so I make a point to search for women that I admire, and that I can emulate.

For me, a shortlist of these women include Ashley Graham, Danielle Brooks, Sara Ramirez, and Jazzmyne Robbins, but there are so many more, and I could write an entire article just on women who inspire me to love myself. These women are prime examples of people who I can identify with, and who make a positive impact on society with their unapologetic love for themselves. I look to emulate Ashley's confidence, Danielle's humor, Sara's attitude, and Jazzmyne's courage. Find the women who you identify with. Discover attributes that you want to have yourself. Take those on, and use the images of these women to continue to inspire you. Create an inspiration board, and tack to it magazine clippings, quotes, and other things that remind you of the kind of person you want to be and inspire you to continue to work toward that.

4. Surround yourself with positivity.

You know how I said before that what you say to yourself makes an impact on your confidence? The same thing also applies to what other people say to you, should you choose to listen to them. It's impossible to avoid every single negative comment that will inevitably come your way, but what you can do to minimize the negativity in your life is to weed out the people in your life who make you feel bad about yourself and include people who support and encourage you to be the best version of yourself.

We all know someone (or a few people) who are complete Debbie Downers. They can't seem to every say anything nice, their compliments are always backhanded, and they project any and all of their insecurities on the people around them. These are the kinds of people who can really have a wearing effect on your life. The more you listen to the bad things they have to say, the more likely you are to start believing them in yourself. These kinds of relationships are toxic, and it is important to learn to recognize the warning signs. It is okay to say goodbye to these kinds of people, I promise. Your mental health and self-love is much more important than staying friends with that girl that you met in class freshman year who makes you feel terrible every time you eat a burger or who gets jealous and feels the need to tear you down when you wear your Fierce Outfit to class and everyone is complimenting you.

Surround yourself with people who support and love you unconditionally -- people who are real with you and will call you out when you make questionable decisions, but who would never consider tearing you down in order to make themselves feel better. These are the kinds of people who are worth having in your life. They will stick with you through all kinds of life milestones, and they will make you feel good about every single one. If you're having one of those particularly bad days and your confidence is lower than usual, I highly suggest calling up one of these people to chat. Without a doubt, you'll leave the conversation feeling at least a little bit better than you did before.

5. Create a "bad day" routine.

I like to reserve what I call my "bad day routine" for those days when nothing goes right and I am so mentally drained that there is no way I can function. As someone who deals with depression on the regular, something I've learned is that self-care is one of the most important acts you can partake in. There are so many little things that you can do for yourself that will lift just a little bit of the weight on your chest. It may not solve your problems, but it can definitely make things a little more bearable for a little while.

My bad day routine usually involves turning off my phone, taking a hot bath, drinking a glass of wine, making myself a good meal, writing in my journal, and washing my sheets so that they're fresh and clean when I crawl into bed. Your routine doesn't have to include wine or bubble baths, but find little things that relieve your mind a bit, and incorporate those into your bad days. There are so many little ways to love yourself, and making a special routine out of them to use on really bad days can be a good way to give yourself a boost. Try making your bed, cleaning up your room, indulging in your favorite dessert, reading your favorite book, breaking out your favorite movie, or anything else that brings you some peace. Not every day is going to be a day that you feel fierce, so take care of yourself so that you can bounce back later.

6. Find your groove in a good playlist.

Honestly, what is better than finding that perfect Spotify playlist that matches your mood exactly? I highly recommend creating a mix of songs on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, or whatever other music listening platform you use. Find songs that fit your taste, but that make you want to dance around your bathroom like the spotlight's on you on the club floor.

There are SO many empowering songs out there, but check out this list of songs written by women FOR women about loving yourself. I promise, listening to music that makes you want to strut will carry over into whatever you're doing. Listen to your playlist on the walk to class and give yourself an extra bounce in your step on your way to Biology. Blast your playlist while you get ready to go hang out with your friends and brush on your mascara while you shake your hips like Shakira. Confident music = confident you. I'm pretty sure this is also a scientific fact.

7. Be courageous.

Loving yourself is not always going to be easy, and it's definitely not something that happens overnight. Learning how to overcome years and years of subliminal messages about social expectations and overt messages of self-depreciation can be tough. This is a lifestyle change more than anything else. It takes a lot of courage to step out into the world with no apologies and no holds barred. Again, this won't happen overnight, but by practicing self-love and ceasing to apologize for who you are, you will eventually grow to adore yourself.

Be courageous. Step outside of your comfort zone once in a while. Take a leap, buy the cute crop top, and actually wear it out one night. Try out for that play at the community theater. Send in that novel that you've been sitting on for the last year. Celebrate what makes you different from everybody else and capitalize on it. As Oscar Wilde said, "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken."

8. Know that you won't always feel "top of your game" and that is OK.

Like I said before, not every day is going to be a great day. You have to take the lows with the highs and roll with them. Practice your self-care and utilize your bad day routine. Understand that there will some days when you just can't face the world, and it is important to know that you can still love yourself, even when you're not in your fiercest outfit or trying out new adventures in your life.

These days are not the end of the world. I can't tell you how many times I've felt like I would never leave my house again, but eventually, you will. There is a reason it's called "being at the top of your game." Your game is played on a lot of different levels, and you're not always going to operate at your most fabulous. Here's where your mantra, your self-care, your inspiration, and your positive friends come in handy. Make a habit of utilizing these things, and eventually the really bad days will become fewer and further between. Just don't give up on all of the progress you've made because of one bad day.

9. Practice patience.

Rome was not built in a day, and your journey to accepting yourself for all of you will not be built in one day, either. This is where your patience is greatly needed. It can be really frustrating to feel like you're progressing slowly. Take the time to address the things in your life that make you feel anything less than beautiful, strong, and fierce, and find ways to make healthy changes in order to shine your brightest.

Be patient with yourself. Know that you are worth love, especially from yourself, even on your bad days. Commit yourself to knowing that loving yourself is a lifelong process and you have to constantly practice patience. It will take time to weed out the negativity, it will take time to find who you are, and it will take time to form positive and healthy habits. Take pride in the progress you have made, and keep fighting the good fight. I promise, you are worth it.

10. Strut like you mean it.

Get out there. Strut like you mean it. Feel the Cheetah Girls spirit, and take everything you've learned, hold your head high, and walk with pride. You are beautiful. You are bold. You are woman. Listen to that roar.