5 Journal Prompts for Challenging Negative Self-Perception and Helping Your Body Image

How many of the things you believe about yourself actually came from you?

If you're like most people, you've probably internalised countless messages about your appearance, worth, and identity from family, friends, media, and society. Sometimes these external narratives and beliefs can become so deeply embedded that we forget to question whether they're actually true. This can be terrible for our body image and can keep us feeling helpless and stuck. But there's good news: you can challenge and change this.

These five journal prompts will help you get started. By exploring your beliefs and how others have labelled you, you can start to build self-awareness and self-trust and stop viewing yourself through the eyes of others.

Prompt 1:

Think about the labels or descriptions others have given you about your appearance, personality, or abilities throughout your life. Write down 3-5 of these labels. For each one, ask yourself: "Is this actually true about me, or is this someone else's perception that I've accepted as fact?" What feels different when you question these labels rather than automatically accepting them?

Prompt 2:

When you look in the mirror, what do you actually see versus what you think you "should" see? Try looking at yourself for 2 full minutes without judgment - just observing. What do you notice that you might have been overlooking? What would it feel like to trust your own eyes over others' opinions?

Prompt 3:

Think about aspects of your physical self that you might have stopped noticing, appreciating, or connecting with because of external messages. This could be anything - your eyes, your smile, your hands, your voice. What parts of yourself have you been avoiding or dismissing? What would it feel like to reconnect with these aspects with curiosity instead of judgment?

Prompt 4:

If you could introduce yourself to someone new without using any of the labels others have given you, how would you describe yourself? What words would you choose? What aspects of your appearance, personality, or being would you highlight if you were writing your own story from scratch? Notice what feels authentic versus what feels inherited.

Prompt 5:

Imagine a future situation where someone tries to define or label you in a way that doesn't feel true. What would it feel like to gently but firmly correct them? What would you say? How would it feel to do this?

And a quick reminder: These prompts are invitations for exploration, not tests with right or wrong answers. Be curious and compassionate with whatever comes up. If any prompt feels too challenging today, that's okay - you can always return to it when you're ready.