Body Confidence Building a Positive Body Image

Building a positive body image and mindset can change our demeanor and perspective on life. It changes how we react and process certain situations. As a result, we walk with body confidence that stems from within and shows on the outside.

However, suppose you faced hardship or trauma in the past or experienced negative comments from others about your body. In that case, you may have a more challenging time embracing body confidence. Nevertheless, you can increase your confidence, physically and mentally, by taking small steps starting today.

Why having a positive body image matters

Poor body image can contribute to other mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, body image disorders, and eating disorders. Conversely, you carry yourself differently when you perceive your body in a positive and healthy light. You walk into a room and own it.

Self-doubt plagues everyone at some point, but it seems to grow in intensity with poor body image. It can keep you from attending social events, taking a chance on an opportunity, and putting yourself into the public eye. It can hold you back from your calling, but only if you allow it.

You can take steps to create a positive body image, increase your body confidence, and quiet the voices of self-doubt. You may need to take a long, hard look at where certain beliefs started and may want to seek the counsel of a therapist, but overcoming a poor body image is possible. You have nothing to lose when it comes to bettering your mindset.

Steps to improve body confidence

You may not be aware of the thoughts and emotions that can derail your positive body image. What we focus on is what we have. For example, if you obsess over your flaws (and everyone has flaws), that is what you will always see. You will forget what makes you unique or the traits God gave specifically to you.

No one else was created exactly like you. Your body, personality, and genetics are all components of what makes you unique. Read the following steps to increase body confidence and remember that you were created in God’s likeness and image.

Comparison can kill your body confidence.

Comparison is probably the worst offender in maintaining a positive body image. We either compare ourselves to others or worry that other people are comparing us to society’s ideals. Here is the truth: You will always see flaws and problems when you view life through the lens of comparison.

We will always believe that someone else is prettier, more intelligent, thinner, larger, or sexier than us. It does not matter how much money we spend or how many extreme methods we employ to be perfect. God created each of us in His likeness and image. He already views us as perfect, so the only reason we strive for another version is due to comparison.

Comparing yourself to others will only breed discontentment, anxiety, and depression. How often do you scroll through social media, liking influencers’ posts and reels, only to realize that you are not inspired but depressed? Take note of how you feel after you spend time on social networks or viewing media, and begin to take steps to decrease your time on these platforms.

Practice kindness to yourself.

How often do you speak hatefully to a loved one? How often do you berate and criticize your spouse, children, or parent for their appearance? This may be something you would never do to someone you love, yet you do it to yourself every day. Why do you believe you are less important than the people you love?

During childhood, authority figures told us to practice kindness and love our neighbor as ourselves. Yet, we speak the most unkind and untrue words to ourselves, cutting our appearance, speech, and intelligence down to size. This narrative must stop.

Learn to catch negative thoughts and words as they come out of your mouth. Then, ask yourself if this is a true statement or if you are repeating a lie spoken over you by someone else. Become your own private investigator and decipher where these thoughts and opinions are coming from, then work to change the narrative.

Focus on process.

Why is it that when we decide on a goal, we focus on the end result more than the process? As a result, we underestimate what we can accomplish long term and overestimate what we can do in the short term. Focusing on the end goal will only leave you frustrated and unmotivated, neither of which will help increase a positive body image.

Instead of making your long-term goal to be skinny, consider focusing on the health goals that will lead to reduced body size. For example, you could challenge yourself to drink 80 ounces of water daily, follow a workout program three days a week, and practice holding a plank daily. Give yourself daily and weekly challenges and focus on that instead of wanting to wake up looking like the edited and photoshopped version of a cover model.

Get in a bubble.

The outside world pelts us with current events, natural disasters, drama, and daily worries. On top of that, you may be around harmful and toxic people who take potshots at your expense. So perhaps it is time to get into a bubble of positive and supportive people who want to see you succeed.

The right circle can help build self-confidence and shape a positive body image. When you surround yourself with people you want to be more like, such as happy, goal-oriented, faith-filled Christians, the hostile world will impact you less. Are there people in your life that exude faith, love, and peace and who are also striving for a specific goal in life? Reach out to those people.

Be your own secret admirer.

Have you ever had a secret crush? Maybe as a teenager? Do you remember how you noticed every one of your crush’s positive traits? You were hyperaware of all of your crush’s admirable qualities.

Now is the time to become your own secret admirer. Stop focusing on the flaws and the traits you think are embarrassing. Instead, list the characteristics and qualities that make you proud. Is it your posture, your smile, or the color of your eyes? Is it your ability to listen to others when they are hurting or your take-charge personality that organizes people and gets things done? What can you add to your list?

Create a vision, set goals, and live.

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law. – Proverbs 29:18, NASB 1995

The King James Version of the Bible reads that where there is no vision, the people perish. Positive body image and self-confidence increase with achieving goals you set for yourself. When you create goals in every area of your life and then work to meet those goals, you prove to yourself that you are capable. This confirmation works as a catalyst in changing your mindset.

Mindset can be a prison if you let it. It can lock you into believing lies and half-truths. You may need help busting through those lies and securing your vision, but once you do, you can truly live, fulfilling your purpose and calling. Allow God to empower you. Borrow some of His confidence in you.

Help for building a positive body image

Choose one or two steps above to build a positive body image. It will not be easy, but if you consistently start small with daily practices, you will see physical results and a shift in mindset.

Reach out to our office today if it seems like you could never overcome the distorting views of your body. We can schedule an appointment for you with a licensed mental health professional specializing in positive body image, body dysmorphic disorder, eating disorders, and more.