Your self-image is based on all the beliefs, thoughts and experiences you have gathered and accepted about yourself. It shapes your behaviour, your choices and therefore the quality of your relationships, your career and your life as a whole.
It influences the way you experience yourself and therefore your life. If you have a positive self-image, you are more likely to experience your life in a positive and supportive way. The reverse is also true.
Your self-image is changeable. If there are areas of your life that you find limiting, stressful or negative, it can help to consciously address your self-image.
To develop a healthy and positive self-image, it is important to reflect on your beliefs and patterns and to make mindfulness and introspection a habit.
Challenging your beliefs and thoughts
Often obstructive beliefs are deeply rooted in our subconscious and negatively influence our self-image. Self-observation and mindfulness can help you identify these beliefs.
Observe your feelings in everyday life. When you feel tense, stressed or generally ‘negative’, stop and observe your thoughts. What thoughts led to this feeling? What were you thinking just now?
Ask yourself:
- What negative thoughts do I have about myself?
- What thoughts prevent me from accepting myself and standing up for my needs?
- What patterns do I repeat over and over again in my relationships, in my work or in general?
Beliefs are nothing more than thoughts that you have recognised as true and that you keep thinking.
When you have identified these thoughts, you are able to change them with intention.
For self-reflection, I recommend using a journal or notebook. My experience shows that it is easier and more sustainable to document your observations in writing.
Once you have identified your limiting beliefs, you can consciously replace them with positive affirmations.
Affirmations are positive, self-affirming thoughts that help you build a new, healthy self-image. Obstructive beliefs are basically nothing more than affirmations. You have more or less consciously accepted these beliefs over the course of your life and found them to be true, thus giving them permission to influence your actions and your self-image.
Now you are replacing them with new affirmations, this time ones that you have consciously chosen to help you create a life that is good for you.
You could use affirmations such as ‘I am valuable and loving’, ‘I stand up for my needs’ or ‘I deserve fulfilment in my work and relationships’. The important thing is that the affirmations feel good and right to you.
Ask yourself:
- What positive beliefs do I want to have about myself?
- What thoughts encourage me, make me feel good and help me stand up for myself and my needs?
- What do I need to let go of old patterns and replace them with supportive habits?
You can also become actively aware of your strengths, positive qualities and successes to support your self-image.
Reflect on these in your journal:
- What are my strengths?
- What am I good at?
- Who have I helped today?
- Have I received compliments?
- What do people appreciate about me?
Through regular self-reflection and mindfulness, you can consciously manage and positively influence your self-image. By focusing on your strengths, successes and positive attributes, you can build a healthy self-image and give yourself what you expect from others.
This process takes time, patience and self-love. But it is worth it, because it is crucial to living a fulfilled life in harmony with yourself.
By consciously strengthening your self-image, you lay the foundation for a fulfilled and meaningful life.
You will then be able to respect yourself and your strengths and bring them authentically into (work) relationships. A healthy self-image enables you to develop your inner strength and live a fulfilled life where you know exactly who you are and how to fulfil yourself.
Do you want to build a fulfilled, meaningful life without fear of loosing what you already have created? Then the “Potential Unlocked: Pathways to a Life You Love” coaching programme might be just right for you.
