Can you really learn to love your body? As the years go by, each decade brings new and unexpected changes. You move from adolescence to young adulthood and unexpected weight gain. If you are a woman, you may experience the reshaping of your body because of pregnancy. If you are willing and fortunate, you will eventually enter into the effects of maturity, including wrinkles and the pull of gravity. During your lifetime, your body will endure stress, sadness, grief, disappointment, and other emotions. You may bear the scars of illness, disease, or accidents. Other times the effects of a sedentary lifestyle, emotional eating, dieting, or poor nutrition may shape your body. With all this going on, is it possible to make peace and love your body?
My Body Acceptance Experience
For me, the road to loving my body began many years ago, decades ago. I stood one day, naked, in front of a full-length closet mirror. Having summoned my courage to do this, my intention was to look at my total body and say three simple words: “I love you.” Trembling, I opened my eyes, and looked at the image in the mirror. What was that image that reflected itself back at me? As if a foreign language, my mouth sounded out those three words, “I love you.” What happened next was totally unexpected. A bellow of laughter arose from within my core that took me completely by surprise. The laugh released itself so spontaneously, that it took me a moment to determine what had just happened. I was laughing at the total absurdity of my statement. As the revelation of this truth flooded so suddenly, and unexpectedly, into my consciousness, I fell to the carpeted floor, naked, heaving tears from the depths of my misery. In that moment, I realized my own self-disapproval.
So began a journey of understanding and self-compassion that in new and wondrous ways continues to this day. This journey of self-love is the infinite unfolding and allowing of my divine spirit to create a union with the physical the self that I am – in this body and on this earth. Slowly, but with visible steadiness, I am becoming peace on earth.
You also have a body and your relationship with it is personal and complex. If you are currently unhappy with your body, you have the ability to reshape your body-image relationship into something beautiful, peaceful, and fulfilling. Even if there are things about your body that you would wish to change, you still can learn to develop a partnership with your amazing body. Your body does not appreciate being an object ordered about by your critical commands, or blamed for your unhappy life. Your body is the home you live in for your entire journey on Earth. It is up to you to realize this symbiosis and work to create harmony.
Being comfortable with your body is rarely something that comes easily. However, you can light your path to greater self-love and body acceptance. Use these powerful tips to continue your journey to love the body you live in!
Call a Truce
How do you unite as a partner with your body? First, call a ceasefire with your body and decide to accept everything about your body in this moment. Things are the way they are. That doesn’t mean you can’t work to change things. It just means that until you call a truce, you are always going to be in a war between you and your body. In a war, you are fighting to stop what is going on, but never really working to move forward into something new. By calling a truce, you can begin to build a new, more enjoyable relationship between you and your body.
Your Body Reflects Your Thoughts and Beliefs
Your body reflects on the outside what you believe about life on the inside. For example, maybe on the inside you believe that life is not safe, or there is no hope of ever feeling better. Because of those beliefs, you may feel sadness, depression, anger, fear, or hopelessness. Perhaps you believe you are a bad person, unworthy and unlovable. Alternatively, you may believe that you should not dare to be unique, creative, or self-expressive. These self-limiting beliefs are often painful, and maybe you have attempted to feel better through too much or too little food, drugs, sex, busyness, or other addictions.
Begin to explore new ideas that include seeing how your body is not your enemy. Your body is not responsible for your unhappiness in life, and it does not make decisions for you. If your body is overweight, exhausted, without energy, worn out, or sick, it is not to be blamed for those conditions. It is merely a reflection of your thoughts, beliefs, and actions.
The really great news is that it is your body. If it is currently holding on to ideas of limitation or lack, it is because you have filled it up with those ideas. You can change your beliefs! Since it is your body, it would agree to hold any new ideas that you would offer to it. You just need to do a bit of housecleaning as you release some old ideas about life and yourself, and bring in some new, updated, self-supporting ideas.
Practice Thoughts That Feel Good
Turning your body into your temple may well be a process and an undertaking. But, it is a worthwhile undertaking. You have a right to enjoy your life and feel good here on earth. The only way that is going to happen is inside of your body. So, be brave and call a truce. Life can be as wonderful or as horrible as you allow it to be. It all depends on the thoughts you practice. Learn to align with thinking the thoughts that feel good inside your body. Think thoughts that bring pleasure. Ask yourself often, “Am I practicing thoughts that bring me joy and confidence?” or, “Am I practicing thoughts which bring me pain?”
It is possible to learn to love the body you were born with. Practice the ideas above and learn to eliminate the negative thoughts you have about your body. In time, you will learn to love your life!
Dr. Annette Colby, RD can help you take the pain out of life, turn difficult emotions into joy, release stress, end emotional eating, and move beyond depression into an extraordinary life! Annette is the author of Your Highest Potential [http://www.TheHighestPotential.com/] and has the unique ability to show you how to spark an amazing relationship with your life! Visit www.LovingMiracles.com [http://www.LovingMiracles.com/] to access hundreds of content filled articles and sign up for a Fr’ee subscription to Loving Miracles! newsletter.
