3 Self-Love Tips for Cultivating Positive Body Image

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I want to take some time to talk about cultivating self-love through promoting positive body image. There are so many triggers that you may encounter daily that are reinforcing negative body image thoughts. 

The first is social media. Most of us spend a lot of our down time scrolling through Tik Tok or Instagram. Next time you are doing this, I want you to take inventory of what thoughts come up as you see different accounts. If you notice that you are constantly comparing yourself to people or having negative self-talk in response to certain posts, start muting or unfollowing those accounts. So often what we see on social media is not reality, but it reinforces unrealistic standards in our mind. It also may be helpful to take a social media break for a week or set a daily social media time limit for yourself.

Next, I want you to notice how much time you’re spending analyzing or picking apart your body in the mirror. This may be happening while you’re getting ready in the morning or before you go to bed and the only purpose it is serving is reinforcing negative beliefs. To counteract this, try limiting the amount of time you spend looking in the mirror or cover part of your mirror to decrease body checking. Find some cute sticky notes or note cards and decorate your mirror with positive affirmations or quotes. 

Lastly, allow yourself to wear clothes that fit comfortably and throw away clothes that no longer fit you! I love the quote, “Clothes are meant to fit your body, you are not meant to fit clothes.” This simply means that if a piece of clothing such as jeans is no longer fitting comfortably, you do not have to control or force your body to fit into them. Instead, find a pair of jeans that fit you best and make you feel most comfortable. 

My hope for all of you today is that you can love your body today and find gratitude for all of the amazing things it does for you!