How often do
you have a negative thought about your body?
Is it first
thing in the morning when you look in the mirror? Stare at the clothes in your closet? Step on the Scale?
It is no wonder
that 97% of women have an “I hate my body” moment every single day…we have
programmed ourselves!
We have, on
average about 50,000 thoughts every single day, and research tells us that of
these 50,000 thoughts, about 80% of them are negative! AND on top of that as much as 90% of those
are repeated day after day after day!
So, with this
knowledge, it is worth thinking about what it is you say to yourself about your
body.
Pause for a moment and think...What do you say to yourself when you first look in the mirror every morning?
Is it easy to find a flaw with it right away? Do you automatically bring judgment to the way you look first?
Or, do you smile, say hello and take a moment to be grateful to have another day to experience this life and make more memories?
Pause for a moment and think...What do you say to yourself when you first look in the mirror every morning?
Is it easy to find a flaw with it right away? Do you automatically bring judgment to the way you look first?
Or, do you smile, say hello and take a moment to be grateful to have another day to experience this life and make more memories?
1 ONE
of the quickest ways to begin to feel good in your body is to start every day being grateful for one thing
about your body. It could be…
·
The
unique color of your eyes
·
The
strength of your legs
·
Your
manicured fingernails
·
Your
ability to hear the rain on the roof
·
The
smoothness of your skin
·
The
shape of your eyebrows
Anything counts
here. This can feel a little awkward at
first, due to the fact that women are programmed not to look kindly towards
themselves or their bodies in fear that others will think they are arrogant or narcissistic.
BUT, by
starting the day noticing something that you like, or something you are
grateful for about yourself, you set yourself up for noticing more beauty throughout the day
ahead. Just as if you started your day judging
yourself, feeling shame, anger or frustration with your body, you set yourself
up to be more judgmental of others as the day progresses.
Why not be a
rebel! Begin your day by noticing the wonder of your body and all that it can do: hug,
walk, watch a sunrise, listen to music, taste a piece of chocolate, sit in a Adirondack
chair, stand to admire a piece of artwork, pick something up off the floor,
swing on a swing or swim in the water.
By moving the
focus away from what you cannot do and towards what you can do makes a big difference
in the way you feel all day.
2.
Another way to feel good in your body is to
wear clothes that fit and feel good on your body!
So many women I
know wake up every morning and stare into a closet of clothes that don’t fit,
and from there they begin to go into an internal negative dialogue with
themselves. Feeling ashamed that they don’t
look like they “should”, angry that they ate that second piece of pizza or didn’t
get to the gym, frustrated that those pants from 5 years ago don’t fit
anymore.
I encourage you
to clean out your closet and fill it with clothes that you feel good in,
colors, fabrics and sizes that allow you to move and breathe.
You have the
ability to choose to start every morning looking at a closet of clothes that
make you smile (setting you up to smile more during your day) VS looking at a
closet day after day feeling bad about yourself, beating yourself up or even
full of shame and hatred of yourself.
·
You
can box some clothes up, bring them to a consignment shop, put them out of site or give
them to a shelter for someone else who may need them, to enjoy.
Wearing clothes
that feel comfortable on your body is a great way to take care of yourself, an
important self-care technique that can also help decrease stress and increase happiness.
3. Lastly, another way to help you feel good in your body is to let go of all sources
of comparison.
Comparison of friends,
family, social media feeds, cultural & societal norms and even younger
versions of yourself.
Here is how…
Here is how…
·
Unsubscribe
to social media feeds that make you feel “less than” or not “good enough”
·
Find
feeds that make you feel empowered and confident in how you look, check out Shaping Perspectives!
·
Notice
when you begin to compare yourself to others...You are the only you. Only you have your unique genetics. Comparing yourself to another is like
comparing apples to oranges
o
Start
to appreciate your unique genetic type, tall, short, narrow hips, wide hips, voluptuous
torso, thick thighs, small feet (you get the idea)
Research tells us that comparing yourself to others will decrease your own self-confidence, self-esteem, self-worth
and overall body image.
Feeling comfortable and
appreciating the body that you have today can decrease stress, increase joy and
will lead to a life full of more confidence and happiness