Oh…how I wish I had a dollar for all the times I had said “No” to doing something I really wanted to because…
- I didn’t want people to see my body
- I would have to explain what or why I was eating whatever I was eating
- I certainly didn’t want to tempt myself with foods I “shouldn’t be eating”
- The fear someone would comment on my body or the food on my plate
- There was no way I was going to be seen in the body I was in.
It wasn’t until I discovered Body Neutrality…
That I realized things could be different. I didn’t have to love my body, and I didn’t have to hate it either, I could just start seeing myself differently. Body neutrality gave me permission to start appreciating what my body could do for me rather than for what it looked like.
Body neutrality it’s a different way of thinking about and perceiving your body. It’s not about buying into liking or hating it because it is about appreciating…
- What it can do
- That is your vehicle to experience your life in
- That it allows you to control and share with others …through verbal, physical, virtual, and spiritual communication.
I know too many people who don’t have any pictures of themselves with their kids…
Or who won’t go to the beach, lake, or pool to enjoy the experience….
Or miss out on weddings, graduations and other special events …
Do to how they feel in their bodies. Why is it we wait to actually live our lives…do to our weight?
How do you feel in your body?
Let me adjust that a little. How do you feel in your ‘here and now’ body?
Right this minute, as you’re reading these words. Would you feel different if you just got back from a wonderful walk in nature vs. if you were staring in your closet trying to figure out what to wear to a party? Are you feeling different when you scroll through social media vs. finishing up a great yoga class?
Why is it, even when our body is the same (looks and weighs the same), we feel different about it depending on what is happening OUTSIDE of us? It shouldn’t matter at all…
And yet, we feel different in our bodies at different times.
We tell ourselves (our internal self-talk) how to feel at any given time. Keep this in mind…we are programmed (from our past) to focus on that negative internal voice. The one that tells you what you can’t do, what you don’t look like, or ‘should’ look like, or ‘won’t ever’ look like. And wherever we focus our attention…just gets more and more of it. (Click here for how to develop a more positive inner voice)
You can feel different at work, at home, in the world or in your community. Different due to what you see on the TV or on social media. Different with certain family members or friends. The thing is, all of these things are part of our human existence. Do you WANT to believe these things should impact on how you feel about and in your body? Do you want to hide when Aunt Margret comes over? Or beat yourself up because you weigh more, or have a bigger or smaller booty than your co-worker?
Honoring your ‘here and now’ body
How you can begin to appreciate, honor and respect your here and now body, regardless of what is happening around you? It starts with beginning to connect to how you feel on the INSIDE. By noticing the way your body shows up for you every day and creates a different overall perception of your body.
It is the shifting your internal perspective of how you feel in your body at any given time. This can be done by identifying and connecting the thoughts and behaviors that help you feel good about yourself and identifying the thoughts and behaviors that contribute to you feeling embarrassed, ashamed or judgement of yourself.
With this awareness and knowledge, appreciation and respect of your body can begin.
How to appreciate and respect your ‘here and now’ body…
…regardless of what is happening around you, to you or for you.
Body appreciation exercise
Let’s try an experiment. Try to focus on what your body can do, how you can honor it and how it shows up for you. Gratitude is one of the best ways to start. We already know that gratitude has a huge impact on our physical, emotional and spiritual lives…so, why not turn this towards the body. YOUR ‘HERE AND NOW’ BODY.
Finish this prompt: My here and now body can…(list 10 things your body can do):
(examples: my body can hug my daughter, drive a car, write add in a journal, bake a cake)
If you have a hard time, go to your senses. Stop and look around. What do you see? What can you hear? What can your body touch, lift, pat, carry? Smell? Taste? Our bodies, right here and now, are freaking amazing! That is a belief I have chosen to repeat for myself.
Are you willing to pause long enough each day to notice how amazing they are? And give yourself permission to thank that amazing body of yours for taking the time to read this blog.
Your body size or shape does not define your worth
(and it never will)
Until next time I’m sending a big hug to you. Think about it coming from your own body, because it appreciates you so very much.
Continue this journey towards honoring your ‘here and now’ body by downloading your free digital eBook of The Body Joyful-My journey from self-loathing to self-acceptance. Email anne@thebodyjoyful.com and write BOOK in subject line.
