5 Rituals to follow for a Healthy Self-Image

September 10, 2019 | General News

“Loving yourself starts with liking yourself, which starts with respecting yourself, which starts with thinking of yourself in positive ways.”

As women, we have been conditioned to constantly feel the need of having to keep changing ourselves to fit into the most trending ideal. It is always about fitting into either a body type or a persona type if we truly want to be beautiful, powerful, and strong. Trying to perfect our usual bodies and self, young girls end up with a lot of self-damage and body image issues. And it is okay to have these body image issues; we all do, however, it is best to combat these issues and adopt the practice of developing a healthy self-image.

Our relationship with ourselves has a lot to do with how we take care of ourselves; our mind, body, and spirit. Self-care is not hypothetical or a hippie term. It stays true to its perception and teaches us that loving ourselves works miracles in our lives. How we think of ourselves - sets the tone for almost all the relationships that we have been bestowed with. So, there’s a crucial need to learn to love our bodies and accept them with complete faith.

Experiencing body image issues or struggling with them can have an adverse impact on our personalities. It can take over our ability to just be happy, often wheeling young girls into a lifetime of depression. However, it should never affect who we are and our presence in the world. It is imperative to stay chirpy and happy in our little inner beings, right?

What does it take to accept our bodies in all aspects? How does it come to our way that we truly feel beautiful and confident at all times? What does it take to believe that we are “actually good”? What is the pathway to the deeper self-acceptance? What should be the ideal of self-care? 

Well, those are too many questions and the core answer to all of them lies in the fact that girls like you out there need to  take time to focus on their mental and emotional health. 

Incorporating a behavioral pattern of self-love and self-care can come with the practice of certain self-image rituals. However, you should adopt the ones that you will definitely enjoy. Building this self-love habit and behavior should come to you naturally if you really want to start loving yourself truly. So, here’s a brief guide with the best 5 rituals that you can follow for a healthy self-image.

Journalise three good things about yourself, every day

This is going to be a great headstart in your journey to self love and a healthy self image. What you will simply need to do is journalise three things you like about yourself that peculiar day. You will need to do this every night before going to sleep. When you wake up the next day to kickstart your new day, make sure to read the list before you step out of bed. To begin with, observe this habit for the first 30 days to experience a great and positive change in your self image.

Practice Yoga to help you embrace your body

Yoga is a form of self care that will eventually help your body and soul build its healthy self-image. This form of self care is an act of kindness towards your body and mind that refuels you in some way. Research shows that a few minutes of yoga could improve your self-esteem because of the important psychological impact it leaves. The art of learning to self-calm helps restore self-confidence which significantly builds a healthy self-image.

To begin with, take small steps and go for safe poses that are not very demanding. Begin to concentrate on your breath and notice the effects on the body as the body follows the mind into relaxation. Once you learn to be comfortable in your body and mind again, you will follow yourself into a body positive practice.

Practice Affirmations

You have probably heard of these ones before. So, begin your mornings with practicing the affirmational phrase, “I love and accept myself,” loud and clear. Just stand in front of the mirror and admire your body while you repeat these magnificent lines.

While doing so, always remember that you are a beautiful person and your body deserves to be loved. Healing begins at home and you are the temple for this healing where salvation lies in the ideal of a healthy self-image.

Mirror Meditation

There is a form of mirror meditation where you confront your fears and insecurity about your body image issues. Take time to breathe and look into your body while you look at yourself in the mirror. 

“Accept yourself. Love yourself just as you are. Your finest work, your best movements, your joy, peace, and healing comes when you love yourself. You give a great gift to the world when you do that. You give others permission to do the same: to love themselves. Revel in self love. Roll in it. Bask in it, as you would the sunshine.”

~ Melodie Beattie

Take inventory of the words you speak about yourself

Just like the very first ritual of journalizing the good things about you, you should also document the words that you say to yourself in your moments of doubt and self-loathing. Summoning a healthy self-image can only come to you when you think and speak of yourself in a positive, encouraging, and love-filled manner. 

The use of right words about ourselves and our bodies in our personal chatter brings acceptance and approval. Treat yourself better and in situations that call for strict self-talk, reframe the negative statements into positive statements. 

In a nutshell

A happy, fulfilled, confident, and beautiful lady is a combination of great self-esteem and a lot of self-care and self-love.  Having a good sense of your self-worth will help you pick yourself up and look at yourself in complete glory of that beautiful and happy woman who absolutely loves her persona and her body.