Love thyself: The long, hard road to body acceptance

Plenty of people have put on a few extra pounds during the interminable lockdown, but life is simply too short to feel bad about such things

Sharon Dooley: ‘I began looking at my body in a different way.’ Picture: Michael Dillon

It’s that time of year again, when the thermometer creeps up a few notches and layers are shed. Many people welcome the summer months with joy, but others have a sense of impending doom.

They worry about how their bodies will be rated as they reveal flesh in shorts and swimsuits, an anxiety compounded by the dreaded “Covid stone” which piled itself sneakily on to thighs and tums after we sampled the culinary delights of ...