Grab your journal & pen to take note of these 3 Proven Ways to Use Gratitude for Body Appreciation.
If you’ve been following Everglow Nutrition since the beginning, you know that I am all about blending science with spirituality. As a Registered Dietitian, I put my science cap on when bringing you evidence-based nutrition information and interventions.
However, in my experience working as a corporate wellness health coach and mentoring hundreds of young professionals, I’ve discovered this: we can’t stop at science. Creating healthy habits involves the whole person: mind, body, and spirit.
Therefore, I can’t help but speak about the power of affirmations, mantras, mindfulness, and gratitude. Funny enough, these tools and techniques that I categorize under “spirituality” are evidence-based, too!
Gratitude & Body Appreciation
Gratitude plays a key role in body appreciation. This 2018 study, published in Body Image, indicates that gratitude has a strong direct effect on body appreciation. Notably, gratitude was linked to lower engagement in body comparison. And you know what they say about comparison…it’s the thief of joy. Therefore, to reconnect with joy and improve your body image, start by creating a gratitude practice.
3 Proven Ways to Use Gratitude for Body Appreciation
1. Write in A Gratitude Journal
First, write in a gratitude journal. Gratitude journaling is part of my daily routine to raise my vibration and find joy in daily life. Make your gratitude journal specific to body appreciation by using these prompts:
- I am grateful to my body for:
- Today, my body allowed me to:
- I felt really good today when:
- 3 things I like about myself:
In addition, go for depth over breadth. For example:
Instead of: I am grateful for my legs. Try: I am grateful for my legs for taking me on a walk outdoors in nature. Consider how you will make gratitude journaling a part of your daily or weekly routine.
2. Create a Quote Board.
Second, have fun on Pinterest or get creative with art supplies to make a board of your favorite gratitude quotes. One of my favorite all-time gratitude quotes is by Melodie Beattie. Here is a snippet of it:
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns: what we have into enough, and more. Denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. Problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Notice how just reading that can lift your mood and energy level? Imagine if you had your own curated board to look at any time that you started to slip into a negative thought pattern. What quotes will you add to your board? Allow this activity to be fun!
3. Listen to Affirmations.
Third, listen to affirmations. Affirmations are a form of positive self-talk that can help you overcome limiting beliefs that you have about yourself. They are written in the present tense, about yourself, as if they were happening now. Above all, affirmations can connect us to gratitude.
In this article, I share my Top 20 Body Respect Affirmations. Highlight 5-10 affirmations that resonate with you from this list. Next, using the voice memo app on your phone, record yourself reading each one out loud 3 times. Hit save on your recording! You now have a positive affirmations recording accessible to you at any moment. Listen to it as you cook breakfast, brush your teeth, or go through your morning skincare routine to start the day off with gratitude.
Get Grateful Fast
Start utilizing these methods regularly. As a result, you’ll find that it doesn’t take much to feel grateful fast. Allow your gratitude practice to be fun, flexible, and work with your schedule! Select at least one of the methods from above and make a realistic commitment by writing an implementation intention (sentence template provided below):
I will add ___________ [method 1,2, or 3] to my _________ [frequency] on________ [when].
For example:
- I will add gratitude journaling to my weekly routine on Sunday mornings.
- I will add affirmations to my daily routine by listening when I cook breakfast.
You get the idea! So commit to your gratitude practice and notice the shift towards greater body appreciation.