January 31, 2021: Body Image
My weekly Get Your Stuff Together Sunday email series gives you one actionable focus for the week that will make your life a little easier.
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Janell Yule said, “You can’t change a body that you hate.” Darn right! We are bombarded everyday with messages about how we “should” look. We’re hit from all angles - social media, traditional media, healthcare providers, our friends, our family, and our significant others are directly or indirectly providing us with cues as to what our appearance should be. This week, we’re going to talk about the effects of the outside world on our body image and how to counteract them.
Self-talk and acceptance
Did you know that 80% of women report being unhappy with the way they look? I’ll bet you’ve felt that way. Me, too. This is a big problem because body dissatisfaction is linked to low self-esteem, low self-worth, and depression (among other things).
The loudest voice contributing to body image is your own. Despite what you may think about the effectiveness of tough love, body dissatisfaction and negative self-talk are not sustainable motivators. This is coming from a recovering negative self-talker and anorexia survivor who used to think that was the best and only way to make progress.
You and your body are always doing the best they can at any given moment. Only accepting yourself as long as you look a certain way is not an act of self-love. What if, instead, you practiced finding self-acceptance and self-compassion?
I always believed that if I accepted myself as I was, that I would become complacent and lack motivation to engage in healthy behaviors, and that couldn’t be farther from the truth!
Self-acceptance is not “giving up,” but, rather, it spurs us into further action. Engaging in self-acceptance can free up the mental space that was taken up with negative self talk to allow us to practice better choices moving forward.
Focus on health first
One of the ways to make this mental shift is to focus on your health first. Ask yourself:
How is my sleep?
Is my energy good throughout the day?
Am I more emotionally stable?
How often do I get sick?
Am I able to focus clearly when needed?
These things are all impacted by how you care for yourself: what you eat, your exercise routine, your relationships with yourself and others, and how much you sleep. Your body will change because you are consistently practicing healthy lifestyle behaviors, but it will feel much different because your initial intention is one of self-love and self-acceptance. Overall, you’re doing all of this healthy stuff to feel well, right?
Your life becomes much more enjoyable when you shift your focus and energy away from having the “perfect body,” because the perfect body doesn’t exist. Even the women you view as having the ideal body often struggle with their own body image. Focus on feeling great overall, and a major part of that is being kind to yourself.
Next Sunday, we’ll talk about taking stock of the health of your heart and what you can do to make it even healthier.
Want some expert help with reaching your health goals painlessly? Check out my programs! We’ll get everything taken care of in a way that fits into your current lifestyle so you never have to think about your health again.
Do you have a friend who could stand to G(her)ST? Feel free to forward this!
I hope you have a wonderful week,
Kelly
Kelly Morgan, Ph.D.
Tsirona - www.tsirona.com
My weekly GYSTS email give you one actionable thing to do for the week that will make you life a little easier. As "they" say, "Fail to plan; plan to fail." Get these emails (and more!) delivered right to your inbox by clicking HERE.