20 Body Neutrality Affirmations for Disordered Eating Healing
Body neutrality affirmations can be a powerful tool—and you don’t have to be actively “in recovery” for these to be beneficial. In fact, with more than 50 percent of folks in the United States, 16 or older feeling pressure to look a certain way, more people need body neutrality affirmations than not.
Before I share a bunch of beautiful affirmations with you (which I’ll do in a minute!), I want to talk about what body neutrality is, how it differs from body positivity, and why it can be so impactful when you’re healing from an eating disorder, disordered eating, or body image struggles. Then you can choose the body-neutral affirmations that feel more aligned for you and start using them in your day-to-day life.
What Is Body Neutrality?
Sometimes we manage to feel comfortable and beautiful in our own skin, but other times, it’s just not possible to connect with that feeling of contentment. No matter where you’re at in your healing journey, this is a normal human response. Sure, it would be phenomenal to confidently move through life at all times without a twinge of self-criticism, shame, or insecurity. However, that’s not always realistic, which is where body neutrality comes in.
The body-neutral movement aims to de-emphasize fixation on the body’s appearance while focusing instead on its holistic function and your overall well-being. Body neutrality is not a mandate to love yourself, nor is it a source of condemnation when you fall short in this area.
Instead, it removes the expectations of how you “should” feel or what you “should” think about your body. This creates space to create a non-judgmental relationship with your thoughts, emotions, sensations, and physical attributes.
In their research, psychologists Dr. Mia Pellizzer and Dr. Tracy Wade outlined three primary features to define the concept of “body neutrality.” I think this can be helpful to wrap your arms around what this really is. Here’s a quick rundown:
Perception of the body through a mindful, flexible, and realistic point of view
Respect, appreciation, and willingness to care for the body’s health and function
Awareness that your self-worth is intrinsic—not based on external appearance
Body Neutrality vs. Body Positivity
To be clear, body neutrality is not interchangeable with body positivity. The body positivity movement, while rooted in great intention, encourages the celebration of your external appearance, whereas body neutrality emphasizes that your core value has nothing to do with your external appearance at all. That you can respect and honor your body, even on days when you don’t “love” what you see in the mirror.
Body Positivity
According to research in the Body Image Journal, even the most well-intentioned sentiments to love how you look can be detrimental. These messages often unintentionally add pressure to maintain a “perfect” body image at all costs. This can then lead to shame and lower self-esteem, making you feel even worse. The researchers also found that women, in particular, view falling short of body positivity (not being able to feel positive about their body) as a sign of failure or weakness.
Body Neutrality
Body neutrality isn’t about compliance with an inauthentic or performative brand of self-love. You don’t have to repress those nuanced, complex emotions associated with your body image. Those feelings are normal, natural, and almost impossible to eliminate in our image-heavy world.
Rather, you can acknowledge them with compassion and curiosity, then move forward with the reassurance that none of this defines you. Through the framework of body neutrality, that feeling has no power to dictate your sense of worth—whether positive or negative. You can be mindfully aware of what comes to the surface when you look in a mirror without letting those sensations reinforce self-critical narratives and harmful behaviors.
Why Is Body Neutrality So Powerful for Healing?
Another recent study in the Body Image Journal asked a group of volunteers to watch TikTok videos with either #BodyNeutral or #BodyPositive hashtags. Those who primarily viewed the #BodyNeutral content reported more satisfaction and appreciation for their bodies, less of an inclination to compare their bodies with someone else’s, and more acceptance of size inclusivity.
Making this shift is crucial for eating disorder healing.
Marginalized folks are often at a more elevated risk for eating disorders than those represented in mainstream culture—white, young, cisgender, thin, able-bodied, etc. So when we take the focus off our external appearance and quit praising certain physical traits while devaluing others, we create room for all of us to heal.
That’s the power of body neutrality. It’s inclusive of all shapes, sizes, skin tones, religions, orientations, and expressions.
20 Body Neutrality Affirmations for Eating Disorder Healing
Research shows that learning to appreciate the body for how it functions, rather than how it looks, directly correlates with higher self-esteem. That’s why these body neutrality affirmations can be so helpful for healing—they continually help you shift your focus from how do I look? to how I look doesn’t impact my worth and value.
My inherent value is not measured by how I look or how much I weigh.
I do not always have to feel comfortable in my skin to cultivate self-acceptance.
I am worthy of love and compassion just for being me.
My external appearance is my least interesting characteristic.
Perfect doesn’t exist, nor does it add to my value and worth.
I will nourish myself with foods that offer both sustenance and pleasure.
My appearance will change—that’s normal.
I deserve to eat foods I enjoy and wear clothes that express my style.
I respect, nurture, and appreciate my body for all it does for me.
My body can either move or rest today, both are acceptable.
I am so much more than my body.
I can trust the inner wisdom of my own body to tell me exactly what it needs.
My body is a miraculous vessel that keeps me alive, not an object to be scrutinized.
I focus on my passions and ambitions instead of how I look.
I am grateful for my resilience, strength, adaptability, courage, and vulnerability.
My circumstances will not improve or worsen based on my reflection in the mirror.
I feel proud of the challenges I’ve overcome to reach where I am right now.
I matter because I exist. I do not have to earn or prove this to anyone.
My healing process is unique to me, and I honor each milestone.
I show empathy to those around me who are also learning to embrace themselves.
How to Use Your Affirmations
Choose the affirmations that feel aligned for you—or make up your own and use these as a starting point. Whatever you do, be intentional about repeating these affirmations as often as you can, preferably daily.
A good way to remember is to repeat it to yourself when you wake up in the morning and when you go to bed. Another option is to repeat the affirmation when you notice a negative thought coming up or when you look at yourself in the mirror.
Let Body Neutrality Affirmations Support Your Healing
Body-neutral affirmations can be so beneficial for reinforcing your commitment to eating disorder healing while nurturing a more supportive relationship with yourself in the process. Remember: there’s no “perfect” way to do this and no right and wrong. Just do what feels good and no matter what, be consistent. What you repeat to yourself over and over is what you start to believe. Let’s swap those old, hurtful beliefs for new, loving ones!
