There are a lot of things in this world that do not promote healthy body image, including diet culture, extreme workout regimens, and abundant opportunities for social media comparisons. This is why it’s so important for you to intentionally build a healthy body image for yourself!
You won’t be able to rely on the world to give you a healthy body image. Only you have the power to decide what you believe about your body.
You can begin to change that belief today, and one thing that can help is by making a habit of reciting to yourself body image mantras. Here are 5 mantras that can help you build a healthy body image:
“I am more than a body.”
Have you ever told yourself this before? Do you believe it?
You are more than looks, shape, and weight. You’re more than skin, bones, hair, and eyes. You are a person. You have dreams, goals, passions, loves, hates, fears, failures, and beliefs. You’ve got spirit, brains, talents, and guts. You have characteristics, accomplishments, and a personality.
Sure, your body is a part of who you are, but it isn’t everything. You are more than a body.
“My body is a tool, not an ornament.”
The purpose of your body is greater than ‘to look good’, ‘to attract someone’, or ‘to fix’. Your body is a tool you can use for all the things listed above.
You use your body to achieve dreams, face fears, share beliefs. You use your body to make plans, connect with others, and experience life. Your body can run, jump, skip, hop, play, sing, read, dance, see, hear, taste, and feel.
The beauty of a body is that it can do so much. It doesn’t matter how big, small, fit, curvy, tanned, or stylish a body is. Don’t spend too much time decorating your body or fretting about how it looks if that takes away from time you get to spend on using your body to live life! Focus on what your body can do, not what it looks like. Your body is a tool, not an ornament.
“I am grateful for my body.”
Are you grateful for your body? When was the last time you thanked your body for waking, eating, thinking, feeling, moving, and sleeping over and over again? The more you practice being grateful for something, the more things you’ll notice to be grateful for. You can train yourself to treat your body with thankfulness and respect. You can be grateful for your body.
If you are struggling to be grateful for your body, try praying for gratitude. Pray that you’ll love your body. Pray for self-confidence. Finally, pray to know that God loves you and your body just the way they are.
“I am my number one cheerleader.”
(OR, I support myself, I’ve got my back, I believe in me).
What if you could confidently do anything without anyone because you are cheering yourself on! You don’t need other people for validation or support. They might not always be around for you. But YOU will always be around for YOU, so practice really truly being there for you. Figure out how to motivate yourself, pick yourself up when you’re down, and push yourself farther. At the end of the day, you are in charge of how much effort you put into anything, and you become more powerful when you figure out how to give 100%. Become your number one cheerleader!
“I am ___ (fill in the blank).”
Fill in the blank with a word that describes you!
Here are some ideas:
I AM: wise, kind, good at smiling, consistent, trying, patient with my kids, a good listener at work, inclusive, adventurous, curious, excited, content with life…
Figure out some things you love about YOU! It’s so important to speak positively to yourself. After all, we speak positively to the people that we love. We remind them how incredible they are when they need to hear it, but you can tell yourself that, too. It can be so empowering to notice and expand your strengths. Figure out what you love about who you are and remind yourself EVERY DAY!
Pick a mantra today and make a habit of saying it to yourself each morning. You might find it helpful to write the mantra down somewhere that you will see it in the morning. You might even go an extra step by saying this mantra to yourself while you look in the mirror! Teach yourself to be grateful for you, your body, and how awesome both of the truly are!
Looking for other positive affirmations? Try this list of 60 Affirmations for Kids designed for kids, but effective for adults 😉
Why is it so hard to love our bodies? What helps you? What can society do better to promote healthy body image? Leave a reply below!