Daily Habits to Strengthen Body Image
When it comes to developing and maintaining a healthy body image it’s much like maintaining anything else, you must be intentional about it. Just as you can improve your health by keeping hydrated or prioritizing sleep, or your flexibility by regular stretching, you can improve and strengthen your body image by engaging in habits that support it. This is something we work on frequently with both teens and young adults seeking better body image habits at Blossom Into A Better You. Let’s talk about some useful daily habits you can implement on your own to support a healthy, happy body image or improve your body image.
Remove opportunities to compare
Whether it's social media, magazines, television, or daily interactions, there are a lot of times that we cannot control conversations and media that perpetuate the idea that we should be comparing ourselves to others. However, when we can, we should make choices not to engage in comparison behaviors. If you’re wondering why, most importantly is because becoming whatever or whoever you are comparing yourself to is an impossible task. Since we are all unique individuals, the only thing we can ever possibly be is the best version of ourselves. Striving to look and be like another person is an unrealistic goal that will do more harm than good in the long run. Additionally, when it comes to social media, comparing yourself is unrealistic because it’s highly likely that what you’re seeing doesn’t actually even exist. Although we know filters and editing exist, it’s very difficult to remember how highly curated the beautiful photos that we are tempted to compare ourselves to truly are.
You might ask, “How do we remove these opportunities?” When it comes to who you follow, and the type of media you engage in, you have a choice to unfollow unrealistic creators and engage with those who are sharing a more relatable and realistic viewpoint. If you notice yourself picking apart every detail of a photo or video and comparing yourself to it, make the choice to set down the phone and do something that makes you feel good. This might mean going for a walk or sitting outside in the sun. You could also spend time with a friend or a pet, or spend some time doing a hobby you love.
Commit to reframing your thoughts
Although it’s not always possible to completely eliminate hurtful thoughts, we can make an effort to redirect them so that they don’t linger and don’t receive too much of our energy. This can be helpful on days when you can’t avoid exposure to things that make you feel poorly or moments where you just don’t feel your best. For example, if you’re not feeling great about a certain part of your body try looking at the thought a different way. When we have negative opinions about ourselves, sometimes it’s not possible to truly change them in an instant. Lying to yourself about the fact that you love your legs when you are sincerely struggling to see them the way you’d like to is much less helpful than creating a little space for that thought to leave and replacing it with a new version. Instead of thinking about what you dislike about your legs, spend some time thinking about all the benefits of having legs no matter what they look like. This is a good example of a moment where many things can exist at the same time. “I feel uncomfortable with my legs but I am so grateful that I was able to run with my dog today thanks to my legs. I love being tall and if I had different legs then I might not be tall.” Hopefully, you see where we’re going with this.
Learn to live in neutral
In an effort to overcorrect negative body messaging, there's an alternative messaging that has become popular that can sometimes be just as harmful despite its well-intentioned origins. Body positivity has been co-opted from its original purpose and weaponized against us to make us believe that we are wrong if we aren’t head over heels in love with our bodies. Think of your body in the context of a relationship between good friends. Sometimes your friends get on your nerves. They may even hurt your feelings once in a while. You may not feel feelings of overwhelming love at all times, but they are still an important and valuable part of your life that you will always treat with care and respect. Your body is the same. Sometimes the best approach to our body image is a neutral one. Maybe you don’t always feel as comfortable as you’d like but care for your body anyway. Respect your body anyway. Move, feed, and rest your body. On days when you feel good in your body, celebrate it! On days when you don’t feel so good, know that respecting your body is powerful and enough.
While there are many more ways to foster a healthy body image, these three habits are a great place to start. Building a strong and healthy body image is like any other relationship. It takes time and effort, but once you find out what works for you, the value and happiness it adds to your life is so worth the effort. If you’re a teen girl or young adult woman looking for more support with body image please get in touch with us. We’d love to work with you!
