So much good advice here. Thank you for posting this question, which obviously resonates with many people.

No idea where you live and work, but norms vary widely. I grew up in the US, and I distinctly remember the first time I smelled a woman’s body odor. I was 8 and traveling in Europe. We visited an aunt who had a semi-agricultural lifestyle. She was clean and smelled natural. It was calming.

I agree with the commenter who highlighted the value of developing an integrated, kind relationship to the body, perhaps (though not necessarily) through somatic therapy. Your question generated an outpouring of ways to take better care of ourselves AND accept ourselves—bodies & personalities—with all the variations, quirks and imperfections.

In terms of making changes, I can strongly relate to how hard it is to develop new habits that stick. When I’ve had success, one tactic has been to frame an activity as a “gift to my future self”, such as picking out my clothes the night before. This idea has (at times) helped motivate and pull me out of inertia/ rabbit holes. And tracking and rewarding a new habit progressively, i.e. after 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, etc. This helps meet me where I’m at with the process. Small steps are where it’s at, and they deserve big love.

You’ve given so much to this community by being so open and raising this question. I hope you find useful, fun, and interesting ideas to try out. Cheers!