*original publication Summer 2016*

10 Affirmations To Improve Your Body Image

By Erin McKelle

“I’m so fat.” “I hate the way that my stomach sticks out in this dress.” “I wish my thighs didn’t jiggle when I walk.” Have you ever said or thought statements like this to yourself about your body? We talk about our bodies a lot, but so much of that conversation, internal or otherwise, is filled with judgment. Why isn’t it acceptable to point out the things you love about yourself or why don’t you look in the mirror and automatically think about the things looking back at you that you appreciate?

In short, the reason that we all participate in this form of self-deprecation is because of fatphobia and diet culture, which both teach us that we should always strive to be thinner and that our bodies are always a work in progress, but never good enough. Also, so many of the images and stories we see in the media around bodies are filled with shaming. Just look at the cover of any magazine for proof of this! With a culture focused on constant disapproval of our bodies in their natural state, no wonder we’re complicit in self-hate.

However, changing this inner-dialogue is not only possible but probable. We can change the relationship we have with our bodies, with one of the best tools to do this being positive affirmations. If you’re unfamiliar affirmations, they’re statements that you make in an attempt to change your unconscious thought process and reasoning. “I love my body,” is one example of an affirmation, because it’s a bold, declarative statement. Changing your thinking has been proven time and time again to change your reality, with just one example of this being the self-fulfilling prophecy, where what you believe becomes true because you believe it to be.

Here are 10 affirmations you can carry with you to cultivate more body love in your daily life.

  1. “My body is worthy of love and respect.”
  2. “I am not defined by my weight and love myself at any size.”
  3. “What other people think of my body does not concern me and I am only concerned with my own view of myself.”
  4. “Body, I promise to love and cherish you always. I am sorry for ever being cruel to you and ask for forgiveness.”
  5. “My body is perfect the way that it is and I honor it in this state.”
  6. “Even though I have been taught to hate my body, I am committed to changing the relationship with my body, to cultivate self-love.”
  7. “I deserve to practice bodily self-care. Today, I will care for my body by doing           .”
  8. “I appreciate my body for keeping me safe. Thank you body, for always looking out for me.”
  9. “ Food helps to nourish me and I will enjoy it without reservation.”
  10. “I am beautiful.”
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