Body Love Heals Body Hate
How many times have you looked at your physical reflection and zoned in on the body parts you’re not so fond of, only to begin a barrage of nasty name-calling and judgements in your mind towards it?
Our body image is largely dependent on how we FEEL and THINK about our bodies.
When we have negative feelings towards our bodies, our mind, mood, confidence, eating choices and behaviour all decline as we focus on those negative feelings.
We start feeling overcome by them, and stop noticing anything good about ourselves.
[Tweet “Your body is a beautiful complex machine. “]It keeps you upright, breathing and functioning regardless of what you dislike about it.
Think of your favourite pet: cat, dog, horse etc. If all you showed your loyal, loving pet was neglect, disappointment and resentment at looking after it, how do you think your pet would grow towards you? How do you think your pet would react every time you showed it anger or frustration?
Your body is similar to caring for a pet. It needs love, attention and understanding – not constant fear and stress.
When you look at yourself in the mirror and only see what you don’t like about your body, you are not only ignorant to the attractive parts of you physically, but you also stop seeing the beauty in your own heart; You stop seeing your virtues, strengths and skills.
[Tweet “Who you are as a person is not defined by what you look like on the outside. “]Your physical appearance is more a display of the self-care you display towards yourself – in other words, how you value yourself.
When you spend most of your time criticising and degrading your body, you are certainly not showing it love, attention and understanding. You are slowing deflating it, and your confidence along with it.
To stop hating your body you need to switch your mental focus and start seeing the parts of you that you DO like – and appreciate them more. I like to do this by using a “30 day Mirror Challenge”; a very effective tool that I often use with my clients.
The Mirror Challenge is an exercise to see yourself in a new light!
- Every morning when you get up, find just one thing that you like about yourself in the mirror. This can be a physical attribute or character trait. Write it down as, “I like _______ about myself”.
- Each morning add just one more thing that you can find in the mirror that you like about yourself, and again write it down. Look over your list daily to begin seeing yourself and the person you are from a different perspective.
Over the thirty days, you will gradually expand your self-awareness to be more positive and appreciate of who you are and what you have to offer.
When you begin to love, accept and value yourself – perceived flaws and all – you will begin to love ALL of you, including the parts that you’ve spent a lifetime hating.
Your body will then begin to release the negative emotions and physical strains of feeling your pain, and start to move with you in making positive changes to your health and happiness.
Your body is a reflection of what you THINK about yourself. Change your thinking and you change your life.
Value yourself and love your body so you can find a new way to live more comfortably in it.
Love Your Body
Viki xo
About Viki
Viki Thondley is a Mind-Body Wellness Specialist and qualified Holistic Counsellor, Food, Stress & Lifestyle Coach, Meditation Therapist, and Eating Disorder Recovery Coach who inspires women to shift from dieting and restriction to whole-self nourishment, self-care and healing. Recovered from bulimia nervosa and the many years of hormonal imbalances, food prison and self-sabotaging behaviours’, Viki is an inspiring coach, speaker and event host who also provides personalised holistic programs, workshops and retreats to instil self-love, happiness, body confidence and real food freedom. She is author of “Achieving Your Wellness: Create a Life You Love” and “Healthy Chocolate Delights: Real Food Sweet Treats”.
Sign up to her Happy | Healthy | Confident newsletter for her free 43 page eBook “Break Up with Dieting: 10 Tips to Calm Your Mind, Relax Your Body & Eat With Pleasure” + weekly whole-self nourishment tips, inspiration and recipes!
