Try these steps to loving your body on the inside & out
Love this quote attributed to Buddha “Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.”
Comparing ourselves & our bodies to others with brutal & relentless negative self~talk impacts your entire well being. Years can go by & eventually we no longer notice it as a self-hate game, it has become a deep rooted belief that depletes our energy & happiness.
Here are a few ways you can begin a journey back to your true self & begin the process of loving every inch of who you are both on the inside & out:
🐡 Focus on your health & feeling well. By flipping around your obsession on your physical appearance to one that is more focused on health will bring you a deeper sense of gratification. This will not happen over night, but if you keep with it you will begin to feel more motivated to stay on track. Reframe this change to one that celebrates healthy food & exercise as a balm for your soul & not a torture. Connect with your bigger picture ~ midlife rocks for this sense of reframe.
🐡 Start treating yourself like you would treat someone you love. Use a voice filled with compassion & generosity to cut through self-hatred ~ our subconscious hears us clearly so start being nice. You will be restraining yourself to feel worthy so try words that are forgiving, nurturing, loving & supportive. Time is on your side, so go slowly but don’t give up. If you have a stray negative thought push it away with a positive word & continue on.
🐡 Practice being grateful & positive ~ obsessing over someone else’s photo of their body has nothing to do with you so stop doing that to yourself. Right now. Your body is a gift just the way it is, so release those negative thoughts & start thinking about all the amazing things your body does for you every single damn day! Be grateful you have this body & think of your achievements to motivate you to do more. Nothing is too small to be grateful for, so release that negative thought ~ you can do this!
🐡 This last one is a favorite of mine & has been a life long mantra since I was a kid. Love yourself first & the rest will follow. Beautiful. Simple. Hard. I have tried to teach this to my kids, it is harder than you may think. Learning to love yourself first is not selfish, it is gratitude & love all wrapped up together. It is transformation in the way we see the world & ourselves in it. It is true bravery. It is whole. It is nourishing. Loving ourself allows us to give, to serve & to be present for others. Go slowly, start small but please start. One day you will be able to stand in front of a mirror & say “I am complete. I am at peace with myself.”
So start small ❤️ but start.