How have you being treating your body? Have you ever stop to consider:
- The amount of unhealthy foods that you put in your body.
- The negatrive self thoughts about your body: I don’t like how my body looks, it is too fat, too thin, too ugly etc.
However despite everything your body went through, the poor nutrition and the negative self thoughts, it still functions. Inside, there are millions of microscopic systems working without you even noticing. Your body is a unique and incredible creation. So instead of loading it up with unhealthy foods and obsessing over how it looks, you can focus on the benefits your body gives you, and this will inspire you to treat it with respect. It will also help you to see the negative consequences of destructive behaviors.
Whether your body is a size zero or a size twenty, you can learn to love your body, loving your body lies in changing your body image, instead of changing its appearance. Body image is the way you perceive your body and how you believe others perceive it. It relates to the feelings about it and the sense of feeling connected with your body. Body image lies at the core of self-esteem and self-confidence.
You can begin to love your body by:
Becoming friends with your body
Put away every negative feeling about your body and write down every positive aspect of your body. Think about the things your body does for you every single day, it carries you around, it performs all necessary life functions, and also about everything that you can do with your remarkable body. Once you do this, you will realize your body isn’t so bad at all and you can hang out with it. You may not be able to love it entirely as yet, especially if you have negative feeling about it, but you can start to become its friend. Consider your body as your buddy, with whom you work together to fulfill your dreams.
When you begin to think like this, you will want to begin caring about the foods that you put in your body.
Accepting Your Body
Loving your body takes time and doesn’t happen overnight. Once you became friends with your body and realize the benefits of it, you can start accepting it. You will start to look at yourself in the mirror without judgment, and your eyes will be open to its beauty. However, this does not mean that your inner-critic won’t speak up. But you can now make the decision to silence that voice by not listening to it and decide to be kind to your body.
Appreciating your body
Once you accept your body the way it is, you can start learning to appreciate it. You don’t need to celebrate it yet, just be grateful for every aspect of it. When negative feelings arise you can say to yourself, “I am valuable no matter what size my body is” and “My beauty doesn’t depend on the way my body looks.” Think about all your passions and the dreams you want to fulfill and the role your body will play in helping you to fulfill those dreams.
Develop positive self-talk
Challenge your negative thoughts by using positive daily affirmations like, “I will be kind and loving to my body today” or “I will love my body today just the way it is.” Do this over time, and with enough intention, and see your positive body affirmations become your reality.
Develop a body-love practice
Nourish your body with the right nutrients and with a body love treatment. Start eating healthy, pamper yourself by taking a scented bath, get a great massage, look at your body in the mirror with appreciate or dance around naked (that is fun). Do anything you like which benefits your body and will make you feel connected with it.
There was a time when I battle with my own body image but after years of battling, I said to myself, afterall this is the only body I have so why am I going through all this nonsence. I can now look in the mirror and be happy with my reflection. I have found peace. Not in changing my body, but in changing and growing the way I perceive myself, a Queen with a beautiful body temple. And the funny thing is, when I was able to love myself, to love my body, it begun to have a radiant glow, it begin to shape up, I begun to look and feel younger, and self confident. Being beautiful and maintaining a positive body image comes from within and you need to unlocked this feeling within you with positive affirmations. Yes, you can do it.
Loving your body will take a while, but the process is gratifying and worth the effort.
Rev. Marilyn Mars – Marilyn Mars Ministries of Restoration
