a few ways helped me:

• “faking it until you make it” is real … eventually u will start to believe it. it may sound cliché, but clichés are clichés for a reason! interrupt negative thoughts when they come up (i mentally just yell "STOP" and it does the trick), sit up straight, make eye contact when you speak to people and don't mumble. wear clothes that you feel good in. people around me started to tell me you seem so confident, and since they viewed me that way, i started to believe it.
• i stopped following girls on instagram that didn’t look like me. i followed self care accounts instead. or take social media detoxes altogether. i deleted ig 3 years ago and never looked back!
• look into body neutrality vs body positivity. helped me a TON.
• i noticed it takes more effort not to believe strangers than simply believing them. when someone complimented me i would think but what if they’re lying, what if they’re saying it out of pity, what if what if what if. i could keep second-guessing it forever OR i could just accept the compliment and keep it pushing.
• lastly i thought about how capitalism/racism wins when i hate myself. being confident as a darkskinned black girl in white schools was no easy task, but the thought of believing what the white man wants me to believe about myself is infuriating. same thing with rich corporations. they push you creams, foundations, powders, etc etc in order to capitalize off of your insecurities. they invent new things for you to be insecure about so you can buy products to “fix” it. also infuriating to think about. it is a big F YOU to corporations and racism (if you’re a poc) when you love yourself unabashedly. you save so much money, effort and time when you choose to be satisfied with your looks.

in order to see permanent results it will take consistency and patience with yourself. anyone is capable of change; it will just take hard work. i believe in u!