Back again with this hot topic on self-image! Self-image is not what we see being defined on TV, Social media, beauty products, brands etc. These are all false advertising, yes I said false advertising!
Image if properly defined is ‘the reproduction of the form of a person or thing’ or, our visual perception of a person or thing. Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘in one’s mind’s eye’? Well, our mind is the internal eye and what our internal eye sees comes out in our speaking and our actions.
So, to break this down further ‘self-image’ is about our mindset and the way we see or think about ourselves. If we have a positive mindset, what we say and do will be positive and if we have a negative mindset… yeah you figured it out.
4 Tips for a better self-image:
Follow these tips on changing your mindset for a better self-image:
1. Change your words – statistics shows that to cancel every negative word spoken, 5 positive words must be spoken. Therefore we need to change what we speak about ourselves. Don’t rely on what you are feeling. Feelings are not a supportive or reliable source to change what we speak. We have to be intentional, so speak positively about yourself regardless of how you feel.
Below are examples of negative words we change to positive:
Awful | Delightful |
Boring | Exciting |
Clumsy | Graceful |
Depressed | Blessed |
Gross | Awesome |
Horrible | Beautiful |
Old | Fresh |
Nobody | Somebody |
Lousy | Wealthy |
Worthless | Deserving |
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2. Consistency – changing our words is one thing, however, consistency is the key to real change. To replace one habit with another it needs to be done for a minimum of 21 days up to 2 months, however, that can vary for each individual. The key is to be purposeful in changing your words about yourself.
3. Stop comparing – you are you, you are unique, you are uncommon. One of the worst culprits in distorting our self-image is looking at someone else and trying to be them. Trying to fit into someone else’s life who is just not compatible with our lives. You know, the square peg, round hole!
4. Change your appetite! – what we hear, see and speak (ingest) on a daily basis can highly affect our visual perspective about ourselves. In order for our mind’s eye to come into a positive focus, we need to mind what we are hearing, seeing and speaking.
If you apply these simple tips to your life today, your tomorrow will be brighter. Only then will our total person that is; body, soul, and spirit will reflect a better self-image of who we really are.