Having a positive self-image is the key to living a content and healthy life. However, it goes deeper than what you see when you look in the mirror.
In today’s society it is hard to build a positive self-image. The world around us is filled with certain standards and filters that aren’t healthy or real.
Not only that, we deal with internal struggles as well. That “not-so-nice” voice in your head can create doubts and unhealthy comments about yourself in your mind.
Trust me, you are not alone!
Every single person goes through challenges and rough patches in their life.
You may find yourself in an uncertain situation that makes you question yourself and your values. It’s times like these that having a positive self-image is most important. It can help you get through these challenges while still staying true to yourself.
Whether you are looking to regain your self-image or create a stronger one, it is important to create that healthy relationship with yourself. Here are 6 steps to build a positive self-image you’ll love!
What is the Meaning of Self-Image?
Your self-image is a widely known psychological concept related to how you view yourself.
It is measured by how you perceive yourself both internally, externally and relative to the world. It is the combination of what you see in the mirror and how you picture yourself in your mind. Your self-image is built overtime, thus meaning it will also take time to change and build on it.
The self image you have about yourself can be either positive, which creates more confidence in yourself and your thoughts, or negative, which creates doubts about yourself.
There are six dimensions of a person’s self-image. This explains everything that goes into how your self-image is created and it can be used to build a positive self-image.
The 6 dimensions of a person’s self-image are:
- Physical: how a person evaluates his or her appearance
- Psychological: how a person evaluates his or her personality
- Intellectual: how a person evaluates his or her intelligence
- Skills: how a person evaluates his or her social and technique skills
- Moral: how a person evaluates his or her values and principles
- Sexual: how a person feels he/she fits into society’s masculine/feminine norms
These dimensions offer some idea of what goes into your self-image. However, it is only one possible way of thinking about self-image. There are a ton of other ideas around the concept of self-image.
Now that you know some of the framework around your self-image, you can then begin to build a positive self-image. Here, I have laid out 6 Impactful Steps to Build a Positive Self-Image.
Step 1: Identify your likes about yourself
We all know that building something takes so much more time and effort than destroying it. However, if you have a good foundation and continue to create a strong base and support system, it will be a lot harder to tear it down.
Think of a building for example. It will never survive if the foundation isn’t strong. Same can be said for a person. The self-image and confidence that you desire will never last without a good foundation and understanding of who you want to be.
Building a positive self-image starts with the foundation.
You need to start from the beginning and ask yourself this one question…
What do you like about yourself?
Oftentimes when you are constantly thinking about all the things you don’t like about yourself and that you aren’t good at, you start believing you aren’t good at anything and your self-image begins to change.
Identifying qualities about yourself that you like will help create a good foundation to which you can then start building a positive self-image with.
Step 2: Define your goals that are reasonable and measurable.
Having goals and being able to pursue those goals creates a sense of accomplishment, purpose, and growth. Reaching for your goals automatically builds a positive self-image because you are achieving something you desire.
It is important when you are creating your goals to make goals that are realistic and measurable. You want goals that are challenging but possible to reach. You also want goals that you can measure. Meaning, you are able to define what success and achievement looks like.
If you want to learn more about setting goals, how to create reasonable and measurable goals and more benefits, you can go check out Goal Setting: 6 Benefits that will Lead to Success.
Step 3: Find what makes you feel confident and do it
Your self-image is all about confidence. If you have a good amount of confidence, you will have a stronger and more positive self-image.
Start by thinking of some things you’ve done that made you feel really confident and good about yourself. Then, start incorporating that into your daily life.
For me, it’s working out. If I haven’t worked out in a while, my confidence and self-image slowly goes down. However, instantly after I’ve worked out, my physical self-image and confidence gets better. I didn’t physically change my appearance after one workout, but in my mind, I look and feel a lot better.
For you, it might be wearing a certain outfit, crossing something off a to-do list, spending time with a certain person. Doing the things that make you feel confident regularly, will build a positive self-image.
Step 4: Keep trying new things
The world has so much to offer. You might end up loving something that you have never even heard of before or something you have never thought to try. Try know things.
A lot of an individual’s growth comes from experiencing new things. When you are growing, you feel good about yourself and that positive self-image gets stronger.
Step 5: Reassure yourself with positive affirmations
There are some days you are going to feel on top of the world and so confident in your skin, but there are other days that your head might be filled with doubts and uncertainty. Everyone has better days than others when it comes to a positive self-image and confidence.
This is where positive affirmations come into play.
It is important, especially on the days that you don’t feel super good about yourself that you still acknowledge positive things about yourself. Find a few things to really focus on.
If your head is always filled with doubts and negativity, it’s going to be really hard to convince your mind otherwise. Positive affirmation helps get rid of those bad thoughts and bring in good ones.
Step 6: Be Your Own Person, Be Unique
Building a positive self-image means living your life for yourself. It means doing the things that make you happy no matter what anyone else is doing.
Our society’s expectations have made it harder to sway away from the norms all around you. However, following your heart and your wishes rather than other people’s judgement or opinions will make you so much happier and fulfilled.
“It’s like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.” ―
“for once, you believed in yourself. you believed you were beautiful and so did the rest of the world.” ―
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