How To Love your body
As women, we are constantly told that we are incomplete.
We are advised to follow a particular routine to be admired, speak a particular way to be attractive and live a particular life to be accepted. I got really tired of hating on who I was in order to feel like I was ‘woman’ enough. I had to learn to accept that I was already whole, I didn’t need to change who I was but instead embrace her. This is easier said than done in this digital age, where comparisons and criticisms are everywhere. However, I have curated some tips and tricks to make the task a little bit easier.
Appreciate your body’s functions
If you really struggle with liking your body and who you are, let’s start off slowly with appreciating what it does for you. For most of us our bodies:
Breathe automatically without us thinking about it
Enable us to move
Gives us pleasurable sensations
Let’s us enjoy food
Stores our memories
Has been with our since our lives began
(And for some) can create new life
When we look at our bodies on the most basic level, they are pretty magical. They are able to accomplish so much. Those accomplishments are definitely deserving of your recognition.
Speak kindly to your body
Many of us only use words of comparison or obligation when we speak to our bodies
‘I should look like ….’, ‘I should be size …..’, ‘I’m not at thin/ thick as ….’
So much of our communication with ourselves is critical. We are rarely encouraged to speak kindly to our bodies. Instead of being cruel, be kind. Think about the functions that your body can perform, the things your body can do for you and express your gratitude.
‘I am grateful because my body stores my memories’
‘I am grateful because I have my grandmothers’ nose’
‘I appreciate my body because it lets me move, dance and have fun’
Look at your body
We are more inclined to love what we let ourselves spend time with. Sometimes our bodies become this boogey monster because we don’t actually look at them. We hide away from mirrors, change quickly and cover ourselves up with baggy clothes. For this reason, we completely detach ourselves from our figures and are actually imagining what we are and how we look. This step is a bit of a biggie but can truly transform your relationship with your body.
All I ask of you is to: Grab a mirror, look at your body and smile.
Say those kind words that you created in the previous activity and express gratitude for your body. The more time you spend appreciating and giving your body visibility, the harder it becomes to be mean to it. Develop a relationship with your body, your figure, your vessel and you will find it becomes much easier to love.
For more exercises and resources to help develop your self love and body confidence, make sure you check out our body confidence colouring pages and self-love journal.
