Positive body image affirmations are a powerful tool that can help you boost your body confidence and improve your self-esteem. They are simple yet effective phrases that can help you shift your focus from negative self-talk to positive self-talk.
By repeating these affirmations daily, you can begin to rewire your brain and build a more positive relationship with your body.
In this article, we’ll explore the science behind body image affirmations and share some of our favorite affirmations to help you get started on your journey to body confidence.
Hey, I’m Jenn, a Registered Dietitian who has a passion for helping individuals fuel, think, and move towards the best versions of themselves without sacrificing their relationship with food. If you want practical, evidence-based nutrition advice to improve your performance and wellness — Learn how I can help.
So let’s dive in!
What is Body Image
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, body image is the thoughts, perceptions, attitudes, feelings, and behaviors around one’s appearance. This applies to those with or without eating disorders.
Body image consists of four primary components: cognitive, perceptual, affective, and behavioral.
- Cognitive body image is the thought and beliefs you have about your body.
- Perceptual body image is the way you perceive the size and shape of your body, regardless of whether it accurately reflects your actual appearance.
- Affective body image is the emotions and feelings you have towards your body. This ranges on a scale from satisfaction to dissatisfaction regarding various aspects such as shape, weight, and individual body parts.
- Behavioral body image are the behaviors you engage in based on your perception of your body image. When dissatisfied with your body, these behaviors to change the body can be destructive.
Factors that Affect Body Image
Several factors have been studied and identified as influencers on body image, such as…
- Body Mass Index (BMI): This number is associated with fear and shame for many individuals that perpetuates negative feelings towards one’s body. BMI only takes account of height and weight and is not a reliable measurement of health.
- Family: Starting at a young age, our family plays a crucial role in shaping our perceptions of our body image, size, attitudes, and eating habits. As we grow older, our family still has an influence on our body image through their own comments about their bodies or ours, and their beliefs about diet and exercise which can contribute to our own self-criticism.
- Social Pressure: The desire to conform to society’s ideal body shape can lead to dissatisfaction and negative body image. In addition, weight-related bullying and the pressure to gain muscle or lose weight during adolescence can also contribute to body dissatisfaction.
- Media: Modern society is saturated with mass media such as TV, movies, and the internet. These platforms often portray the “perfect” male body as muscular and the “perfect” female body as thin. This unrealistic depiction has led to an increase in self-comparison and negative body image.
- Social Media: Frequent social media use can lead to body dissatisfaction due to constant self-comparison and self-objectification. When we view or post pictures, appearance plays a significant role in shaping our thoughts, comments, and messages about our own bodies and others’.
- Self-esteem: Body image is closely linked to one’s self-esteem and self-concept. Improving your self-esteem can help reduce the correlation between BMI and negative body image feelings. It can also alleviate the anxiety that comes with unfavorable judgments from others.
Why Body Image is Important
Accepting, appreciating, and respecting your body is the fundamental definition of a positive body image. This does not mean that you are completely satisfied with every aspect of your body, but it means that despite any dissatisfaction, you still recognize and value your body for all that it can do, despite any limitations.
Having a positive body image can lead to many positive outcomes, including:
- Improved self-esteem, which is integral to a person’s overall sense of wellbeing, and can affect every aspect of their life, leading to greater happiness and fulfillment.
- Greater self-acceptance, which can help individuals feel more comfortable and content with their physical appearance and less influenced by societal pressures and unrealistic images portrayed in the media.
- A healthier outlook and behaviors, as individuals who are attuned to their physical needs are more likely to adopt healthy attitudes and behaviors related to food and exercise, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling lifestyle.
What are Positive Body Affirmations
Positive Body Affirmations and affirmations, in general, are short, positive statements that you repeat to yourself to boost your confidence, self-esteem, and overall well-being. They are designed to help you overcome negative self-talk and limiting beliefs that might be holding you back from achieving your goals.
How Affirmations Can Improve Your Body Confidence
Affirmations are a powerful tool that work on both your conscious and unconscious mind, inspiring and challenging you to achieve your goals and unlock your full potential in life.
According to a study, girls who engaged in self-affirmation demonstrated higher levels of body satisfaction. Additionally, they felt less threatened when asked to rate their body shape and weight, as compared to a similarly active control group.
Studies have also demonstrated that affirmations can enhance educational, health, and relationship outcomes, with certain benefits lasting for months and even years.
By incorporating affirmations and rebuilding our relationship with food, exercise, and our bodies, we can gradually improve our body image and confidence.
Types of Positive Body Affirmations
Body Positive Affirmations
The purpose of body positive affirmations is to encourage you to love your body more and feel more positive about it, no matter its shape or size. If you’re in a place where you’re struggling to accept your body, these affirmations may seem daunting at first.
Body Neutral Affirmations
By practicing body-neutral affirmations, you can shift your focus from your body to the countless other positive attributes you bring to the world. This approach ultimately helps you worry less about your body size and appreciate your unique qualities more fully.
Gratitude Affirmations
Gratitude affirmations are a more approachable way to promote positive body image. They help us focus on our body as instruments that help us achieve our goals.
Functional Affirmations
Functional affirmations are statements that shift the focus from appearance to the body’s functionality. These affirmations help us to appreciate and acknowledge everything our bodies do for us on a daily basis.
How to Use Body Affirmations
In my practice, I emphasize the importance of nutrition and how we think. Our thoughts on food, movement, and body image are interconnected, so I take a whole body approach to help clients meet their goals.
Affirmations are a tool that helps clients overcome negative thoughts or self-doubt.
When choosing affirmations, I understand that not all clients are ready to embrace body positive affirmations right away, so I advise them to start with body neutral or functional affirmations.
Even though it may feel strange at first, with time they begin to believe what they are saying. Eventually, they can integrate gratitude and body positive affirmations into their routine.
Clients will write out their affirmations on post it notes and place them somewhere (bathroom mirror, vanity, etc) they will see and repeat daily.
I suggest setting aside a specific time of day – usually in the morning – to repeat affirmations that align with their current journey. As they progress, they can create new affirmations that better reflect their growth and development.
52 Positive Body Affirmations
Body Positive Affirmations
- My body is a temple and I will treat it with love and respect.
- I do not need to change my body
- I trust my body to tell me what it needs.
- I am worthy of love and acceptance no matter what my body looks like.
- I will not compare myself to others because I am unique and special.
- I choose to focus on the things I love about my body.
- My body is not perfect, but it is perfectly mine.
- I will not let others dictate how I feel about my body..
- I will not let negative thoughts about my body consume me.
- I am deserving of confidence and self-assurance.
- My body is worthy
- I choose to love my body unconditionally, no matter what.
Body Neutral Affirmations
- My appearance does not determine my worth
- My worth is not tied to my weight; I define my worth and I am worthy
- I am a valuable person regardless of my body size or weight
- I am enough, just the way I am
- My body deserves love and respect
- I will nourish my body even if I don’t always love the way it looks
- Life is happening now; I choose to be present and included
- Dwelling on my physical appearance is unproductive because I cannot change it in this moment
- I refuse to compromise my wellbeing for the sake of a certain size
- I am more than just my body
- I am working towards accepting and embracing my body’s natural changes.
- I deserve to enjoy delicious food.
- I am more than just my appearance, weight, and shape.
Gratitude Affirmations
- I am grateful for my body and all that it allows me to do
- I am grateful for my body’s ability to heal and recover.
- I am grateful to have a body.
- I am thankful for my body’s mobility and flexibility
- I am thankful for the strength and endurance my body has during physical activities.
- I am grateful for my body’s ability to nourish and sustain me
- I am thankful for my body’s ability to breathe
- I am thankful for my body’s ability to take care of me today
- I appreciate everything my body does for me even when I don’t feel positive about it
- I am thankful for my body being my home that I can build up, not tear down.
- I appreciate my body for all it did for me today
Functional Affirmations
- I am proud of my body and all that it has accomplished.
- My body is strong and capable of amazing things.
- My body allows me to __________
- My body grew, carried, and nourished my children
- I take care of my body so it can take care of me
- I trust my body knows what it needs
- I can trust my hunger and fullness cues to know when I need to eat
- My arms allow me to give the best hugs
- My helps me performs the sport I love
- I take care of my body by nourishing, hydrating, sleeping, resting, and moving it.
- My body takes me places
- My body allows me to take care of my family
Final Thoughts
Body image affirmations are an effective tool to boost body confidence. By repeating positive statements about our bodies, we can train our minds to focus on the things we love about ourselves instead of the things we dislike.
Research has shown that body image affirmations can improve our self-esteem and help us feel more comfortable and confident in our own skin.
So the next time you find yourself struggling with negative thoughts about your body, take a moment to remind yourself of all the things that make you unique and beautiful.
With practice, you’ll find that body image affirmations can transform the way you see yourself and help you live a happier, more fulfilling life.
Are you ready to stop stressing about your diet and learn realistic strategies that work? Schedule a free 15 minute call today!
Jenn Fink is a licensed and board-certified Registered Dietitian Nutritionist based in Minnesota. Her goal is to help busy people and families prioritize their health by living a balanced lifestyle and feed their families flavorful meals without spending hours in the kitchen. Jenn is passionate about all things food-related and enjoys making complex science easy to understand for her clients and readers.
I really love the affirmations provided in this post. It offers a great “buffet” where you can take the ones that appeals to you and make them part of your daily life. Thank you!