How to Turn Body Hate into Body Love Regardless of Weight

1.

Use an outside perspective. When you are negatively judging your body, try to think what other people think about you. For example, ask yourself what your significant other, family member, or friend would say about you at that moment instead of what you are thinking.

2.

Assess your values. Ask yourself, is vanity a value worth pursuing? There are many values that we can focus on instead of vanity. Assess how “looking good” would help others or aid humanity compared to developing some other values like compassion or patience. If you start to see your values as part of you, then when you seek self-development activities, you will start to feel more confident.

3.

Think in terms of how your body is functioning versus how you physically look. For example, if you were to look in the mirror and judge your arms for how they look in a sleeveless shirt, instead you could think, “These are the arms that hug my loved ones.”

4.

Do not focus on one area of your body. When we look in the mirror and focus on one area without understanding that it is one part of a whole picture, our minds can literally distort what we see. Look at your whole body instead of focusing on one area.

5.

Retrain yourself on how you use a mirror. Step back from the mirror. Most people do not see you as close as you see yourself when you gaze in a mirror. Stand back about 2-3 feet away from the mirror. When you do gaze into the mirror, describe yourself in objective terms rather than in judgmental terms.

6.

Think about how you’re reducing your worth. If you were to describe a loved one by how they physically look and not include anything about their personality or character, that would be shallow and incomplete. Think about yourself in a more holistic way.

7.

Assess where your belief came from. Think about what was said to you about your body when you were in childhood. Assessing where and when your negative body image started may help give you some insight.

8.

Practice body affirmations. Think of several phrases that are one sentence in length and positive about your body. Say these affirmations daily or write them on post its and stick them to your mirror to remind you to say them. Affirmations should be short so that you can remember them.

9.

Practice self-compassion. You deserve compassion just as much as everyone else in this world. Ask yourself if you would say what you think about yourself to a close friend. If your friend deserves compassion, why don’t you? Write down what you say to yourself and ask if you said this to a friend, would they still want to be your friend?

10.

Ask others what they like about your appearance. This can help you build confidence about certain aspects of your appearance.

11.

Beware who you “follow” on social media. Follow individuals with similar body types.

12.

Journal about your body image. This will help you catch negative thoughts you have about your body. You can re-read the passages and see what types of things you are saying to yourself. Does it sound hurtful? Can you rewrite the things you think/write in a more compassionate way?

13.

Work with a psychotherapist. A licensed, trained therapist can be helpful to help you work through body image issues. Additionally, if you spend more than 1 hour daily being preoccupied with thinking negatively about your body, you may have Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and it might be a good idea to consult with a therapist for psychological treatment. You can read more about Body Dysmorphic Disorder here: Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation.