Do you have a negative attitude toward your body image? Repeating positive body affirmations can assist you in changing your thought patterns and improve your overall mental health.
New Year’s Resolutions
It’s that time of year once again. Everywhere you look, there are advertisements for weight loss challenges, gym memberships, classes, and so on. We are literally brainwashed and sold the idea that we need to do these strict diets and perform intense training after the holidays and before every summer to have the perfect body (there is no such thing).
I’m not going to lie. I repeatedly fell into the yoyo diet trap (which is very bad) for years and still do at times, but I’m working hard to change my inner narrative. Basically, I used to start a diet in January, get bored after a month, and then return to eating junk food. Then, as summer approaches, I’ll restart the diet to get my body ready for the beach. Then, following the summer, the holidays and events will resume. And the cycle starts all over again in January.
Of course, the weight loss industry promotes these types of diets to profit from us, but the truth is that these diets do more harm than good. Furthermore, they are not long-term effective. Healthline claims that “yo-yo dieting is a cycle of short-term changes in eating and activity. For those reasons, it leads to only short-term benefits”.
Instead, they suggest that making small but long-term lifestyle changes that promote a healthy weight is the best way to go. This will lead to long-term success and will break the yo-yo cycle.
That is what we should all strive for: long-term benefits rather than immediate but short-term results.
Lifestyle vs diet!
Let us put an end to the annual cycle of restricting and punishing our bodies in the name of “bettering ourselves.”
So, this year, if you’re thinking about making a New Year’s resolution, please do it to start a new LIFESTYLE that promotes feeling better and being healthier, NOT to look better.
It’s time to put an end to body shaming.
In today’s world, we are surrounded by all these negative attitudes and remarks about our bodies. It’s no surprise that we have so much self-hatred and negative thoughts about our bodies.
The media, specifically television, magazines, and social media, is constantly teaching us, directly or indirectly, that our bodies are not good enough.
We’ve been taught our entire lives that for someone to like and accept us, we must have a certain body type. To be perceived as beautiful, we must lose our curves, have toned abs, slim legs, no stretch marks, no cellulite, flawless skin, and so on.
That being said, we must be thin but not too thin, or else they will accuse us of having an eating disorder. We need to be tall but not too tall, and we need boobs but not too many. And the saga continues.
We are constantly pressured to do everything in our power to appear a certain way. So that we can, and only then, feel beautiful in that type of dress, have the partner we want, fit in with that group, participate in certain activities, and so on.
Undoubtedly, these expectations we put on ourselves result in many women hating their bodies and having constant negative self-talk.
However, we need to STOP this body shaming!
We need to stop hating our bodies!
This is not meant to belittle anyone who wishes to make changes to their physical appearance. We must recognize that it is acceptable to want to change or improve certain aspects of our bodies while still loving ourselves.
For instance, it’s fine to want to lose a few extra pounds or undergo treatments. The important thing to remember is that your perceived ‘flaws’ should NOT define who you are or your self-worth.
Accept and love yourself for who you are right now!
However, body acceptance does not imply that you should simply say, “I accept myself; this is who I am,” and go about your business. That is not what I am referring to here.
You should always strive for optimal wellness. Especially if there are health concerns, you should always listen to professionals and follow their advice.
However, if you want to lose weight, do so because you understand the importance of living a balanced lifestyle to feel better and be healthier, both physically and mentally, rather than having the perfect body.
Moreover, body acceptance DOES NOT imply that you must embrace yourself daily. Everyone has bad days. And that’s fine! The most important thing is to not let that bad day get the best of you and drag you back into your old habits.
Body acceptance means embracing yourself exactly where you are right now and as you are. Accept that this is who you are and love yourself anyway, despite wanting to get better.
Celebrate our bodies
Another important thing we need to do is celebrate our bodies and be grateful for what our bodies do for us daily.
The truth is that we take our bodies for granted. We frequently overlook what our bodies do on a daily basis just to keep us alive. Worse, instead of being grateful, we subject our bodies to all of these diets and excessive training. But, thankfully, no matter how much we shame it, how many stupid diets or treatments we subject it to, or how hard we try to change it, our bodies never stop working for us.
Our bodies never fail us!
Your body is your temple.
Learn to embrace it with all its perfect ‘flaws.’
Celebrate your body!
Here are 50 Body Positivity Quotes To Inspire You To Love Your Body.
Change your inner narrative
How?
One way to help you start loving yourself more is by using positive affirmations for body image.
What is the power of positive Body affirmations?
Positive affirmations are positive words or statements used to overcome limiting beliefs and negative thoughts.
By repeating these phrases daily, you will have a better chance of transforming your mind from thinking negative thoughts about yourself to thinking positive ones. This will help make positive changes in your life and increase your overall happiness.
So, if you frequently indulge in negative self-talk, you may practice positive body affirmations daily to counteract these subconscious thoughts and replace them with more constructive ones.
Furthermore, positive thinking stimulates self-development and self-love; repeating affirmations throughout the day can assist you in changing your thought patterns and improve your overall mental health.
>> Read more: We Create Our Own Demons – This Is How To Overcome Limiting Beliefs And Accomplish Your Goals – FREE Worksheet Included!
List of positive body affirmations for self-love and acceptance
Choose one to three positive body affirmations from the list below and repeat them daily to start loving your body.
- I choose to be kind to myself and love myself unconditionally.
- I am grateful for my body and what it does every day.
- I nourish my body with daily exercise and nutritious food.
- I honor my body as my sacred temple, and I respect it.
- I am worthy despite my looks.
- I forgive myself for not loving my body.
- My body is perfect just the way it is.
- I embrace my body with all its perfect flaws.
- My body is unique.
- My body deserves respect and care.
- The number on the scale does not define me.
- My size does not determine my worth.
- People love me despite my appearance.
- I give myself permission to enjoy life and food.
- I accept myself as I am.
- I choose to love myself despite not being exactly where I want to be.
- I am becoming more confident every day.
- All bodies are different, but all are perfect in their own way.
- My body takes me places.
- I will not compare myself to others.
- I will post my pictures regardless of how my body looks.
- I love myself first and not my appearance.
Positive affirmations are an excellent method to begin reframing your thought patterns, moving to positive thinking, and progressively transforming your perspective.
The truth is that you can’t change what happened in the past, but you can influence what happens now and in the future. You have the ability to choose your current and future attitudes and actions, which will have an impact on your brain and life.
Final thoughts
Positive body affirmations are an excellent tool for improving your attitude toward your body image.
What’s the result?
You have a more positive attitude toward your body and make better health decisions.
You and your body need to work together!
In the end, it all comes down to this:
When your time has come, nobody will remember you for your abs, toned legs, or weight. Instead, they will remember you for who you were, how kind you were, and how you made them feel.
So, stop beating yourself up and basing your self-worth on how you look because, in reality, NOBODY cares except you.
I understand that this journey can be difficult and testing, but I believe in you. We can put an end to this stigma if we work together.
I’m sending you my love and support. I hope practicing these healthy, positive body affirmations can help you become the happiest and healthiest version of yourself.
P.S. If you or someone you love are struggling with disordered eating, the National Eating Disorder Association has more information, resources, and support for people living with an eating disorder.
>> Read more: Positive Self-Confidence Affirmations Can Empower You To Love Yourself
