Why we Must Love our Bodies and Stop Loathing Them
Don’t be that girl. You know the one. The one that hates on every other girl in the room. The one who says look at her thighs, and her boobs, and how dare she walk out of her house with that shirt on. Don’t be a hater like that girl is. Even more don’t do this… Don’t say I wish my body was skinnier, or my boobs were bigger, or I wish I could look like her. Don’t hate on the beautiful body that you were blessed with.
Self-love and loving our bodies is essential to living a happy life. However, the past pain that we carry with us ultimately manifests in our bodies in unhealthy ways. Have you ever felt rejected and found yourself at home chugging a bottle of wine and inhaling a pepperoni pizza while balling your eyes out? Or it could be the exact opposite a feeling prompted you to limit your food intake, starve your body and exist on a diet of saltines, water and tea. Both of these examples are complete opposite sides of the spectrum but they are each unhealthy in their own way.
So how do we stop loathing and how do we start loving?
Our bodies were created for us. They are gifts that have been offered to us. And lest we forget our bodies are working for us and not against us. Our bodies allow us to climb mountains, swim oceans, play catch with our kids, hear the voices of our loved ones and witness with our own eyes the beauty that we see in the world.
So when we find ourselves lost in a thought about how we wish we could lose ten pounds I encourage you to grab a hold of that thought (you do have the power to control your own thoughts) and remind yourself about everything your body does for you and how far is has come.
But yes I know it is hard. We live in a world where women play the comparison game and our biggest fear is the fear of being judged by another.
But I ask you this… Could it be that these negative thoughts exist in our mind, more then they do in real life? We must admit this to be true and here is why. We have played the same voice recording over and over in our heads. We play it so many times that we don’t even realize that the voice could be wrong. But let me tell you something it is. It is wrong.
Somehow along the way we’ve taken one negative comment that was most likely said in a moment of of insecurity and made that thought our reason for self-loathing.
Well NO MORE I SAY! We must change our voice.
It’s possible to love yourself at any size and you should. The question should no longer be, “Can I fit into my jeans from a few years ago?” but instead “Am I healthy enough to run a mile?” We must rewire our brains to stop thinking about numbers on the scale and to start thinking about our overall health.
Can you play with your kids without losing your breath?
Do you make healthy meal choices because you know that they will afford you more time with the ones you love?
Do you work out because you know how it makes your body feel instead of using it as a mechanism to go home and eat four meals?
Our bodies are gifts and our job is to love them and appreciate them for what they are capable of doing. So I challenge you to look at your body today and say five things you love about it. Then come back tomorrow and try and say six things. Continue to do this and slowly change the voice in your head from loathing to loving.
Please feel free to forward this to a friend who may need to hear this today.
Love and light,
Melissa