We are a culture constantly caught up in comparison, in judgment, in measuring our happiness by appearance and numbers on a scale. So often we put on clothing with an aim to be desirable over comfortable, to be accepted rather than confident in who we are.

When we look in the mirror, we note our flaws before our features, we see what we wish to fix before what makes us beautiful, and unique. When we compliment one another, we focus on physical attributes over descriptions of our inner selves, our souls.

But who we are as people is far more than societal standards, than numbers, than judgments we make to photos we’ve scrolled through online.

Whether you are struggling with body positivity and self-celebration, or just needing a reminder that beauty goes beyond physical—here is a list of affirmations to say to yourself, to build yourself, to learn to love yourself a little more today.

1. I am complete.

On my own and in my own skin, I am enough. I don’t need to follow the trends or the paths others have set before me. I do not need a significant other to have worth. As I am, even in my imperfection, I am whole.

2. I am adapting.

I am forever changing, never still. I am not always the person I was yesterday, and that’s okay. I am growing. Sometimes I will not love myself fully along this journey, but that doesn’t mean I am any less of force to be reckoned with.

3. I am complex.

I am not a one-dimensional person. There are different sides and parts to me. There are aspects of my personality and my physical body that work together to declare who I am. No one thing defines me—not my shape, not my appearance, not my mistakes. I am a sum of beautiful, complicated parts. A collage, a masterpiece.

4. I am unique.

No part of me is replicated on anyone else. Who I am is special to my person; no one can take my place. The words I say, the smile I share, the presence I give when I walk into a room is mine. And I will stand tall in that.

5. I embody fullness and light.

I am passion and purpose. I am excitement and hope. I am filled with light and energy, and overflowing with qualities that are mine and no one else’s. Wherever I wander on this earth, I am loved.

6. My body is my home.

The bones and muscles, the fingernails and lungs, the legs and beating heart—these are my pieces, my parts. These are the components, the structure of who I am. I am not defined by them, but I claim them. I call this body my home with a joyful spirit.

7. I have so much to celebrate.

There are moments of success and triumph, of laughter and relationships, of forgiveness, healing, and newfound strength. I am more than a reflection in a mirror or a number on a scale. I am everything that has happened to me, that has shaped me, that has grown me. I am new, every single day. And that is something to be celebrated.

8. I am admired.

People look up to me. They see me and all that I am and beam with pride. I may not always do or say the right thing, I may mess up, and I may fail, but I am still loved and admired by many. And that says more about who I am than my self-doubt ever could.

9. My soul is beautiful.

Beauty is not defined by a body, by legs and arms, freckles and scars. Beauty is the way I walk, the way I kiss, the way I smile, hold hands, pull people close to me. Beauty is my soul, and how I’ve loved and let others in. My soul is open. My soul is passionate. My soul is beautiful. My soul is mine.
 

Featured Image Credit: Aleksander Fajtek