How to Love Your Body Right Now
Yes, you read the title correctly – how to love your body right now.
We’re not referring to loving a version of you that doesn’t exist yet. Not you tomorrow when you’ve had 24 hours to get rid of the bloating, not you in 6 months when you’ve managed to squeeze into the jeans you bought five years ago, not you in a year’s time when you’d have met all your fitness goals after a strict diet regime and even stricter exercise regime, but right now.
We are bombarded in modern society – particularly in the media – of what the perfect body is and, specifically, that we should have it. While this can boost and motivate some people to eat well and exercise, the truth is that it can also be very demoralizing – especially when we are told what the ‘perfect body’ is and that we need to have it ourselves.
There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ perfect body. It may sound cliché, but every single body is so unique and beauty is so subjective that it is impossible for there to be one such ‘perfect body’.
Learning to Love Your Body
Do you want to know the secret to the perfect body? There isn’t one. Body love is completely subjective and when it comes to your own body, it only truly matters if you are happy and thriving.
That’s it. Much of the time it’s about shifting perspective, not pounds. The great thing about shifting perspective is that it’s something we can control. We are the masters of our own minds – it is not a question of if we can do it, but what we can do to find this love.
Flicking through the magazines and seeing perfect (often airbrushed) bodies, it’s understandable why doom and gloom settle in as we look morosely down at our own belly rolls, nose, or eyebrows.
Age is another factor – as we age we get to look forward to the crow’s feet, the laugh lines, the grey hairs. Some look at this as negative attributes when in reality, aging is beauty.
The world would be an incredibly dull place if we all looked the same.
Falling in Love With Your Body
Imagine someone asked you, “What’s your idea of the perfect partner?”
You’d probably list a few things about their personality, their smile, their interests – and often looks.
The funny thing about this is that everyone will give very different answers to what their perfect partner is and chances are, someone out there has described you, including your body, as their perfect partner.
Would you look at the body of your perfect partner and be revolted by a few imperfections? No, so why would you look down on yourself for yours? Someone out there loves it – so why don’t you?
You need to fall in love with your own body, the same way you’d fall in love with the body of your perfect partner.
Your Guide to Body Positivity: Tips for Body Appreciation is waiting for you!
Loving Your Body the Way it is
There are ways you can learn to love your body the way it is. Remember, all that time you’ve spent stressing on an imperfection here and there can be spent doing something that makes you happy!
Below are some methods to try to make you realize that your body is worthy and deserving of your love. Think of your body as a sacred temple – it may not look the same as everyone else’s, but it is yours and it’s up to you to maintain it and treat it with the love and respect it deserves.
1. Find one thing you love about yourself every day
Or two – or three! Actually, however many you can spot (you may find the number increases as time passes as you learn to love your body.)
In the same way that we use affirmations to change our lives and perspective, use self-love techniques like self-complimenting to reshape how you see yourself. It may feel silly at first, but try looking in the mirror, picking one thing that you like, and compliment it. Think about the compliments people give you and use them positively towards yourself.
Here are some examples:
- If you like your eyes, look in the mirror and say, “I’ve got beautiful eyes.”
- If you like your legs, look in the mirror and say, “I love my lovely legs.”
- If you like your teeth look in the mirror and say, “I like my teeth.”
You may not love them yet but all true love builds slowly, this is part of rewiring your mind to help you love your body the way it is.
2. Be mindful of the conversations you have with yourself
You’re getting ready to go out and you’re having an internal dialogue with yourself at the same time. What type of conversation are you having? Is it one where you are telling yourself how fantastic you look? Or is it one where you are putting yourself down and being a bully?
The type of conversation you have with yourself is important and it’s important to avoid falling into a pattern of negative self-talk. As part of learning to love ourselves, we must find personal strategies for breaking negative thought patterns that allow us to stop the nit-picking in its tracks and reinfuse our day with better energy.
Some strategies you can try are…
- Rock out: Listen to your favorite song and dance around.
- Take a break: Step outside and center yourself.
- Laugh: Use a video or podcast to make you smile.
So next time you find yourself having an internal discussion, catch yourself if you are being negative. Find that thing that turns you around, focus on your positives, and keep repeating to yourself how wonderful and vibrant you look. That’s the power of positive affirmations.
Don’t believe us? Give it a try in The Benefits of Positive Self-Affirmation.
3. Find activities that make your body feel good
First, exercise is one of those things you tend to either love or hate. For the majority of people, the same type of exercise day in and day out can become very dull. Furthermore, if we are exercising purely with the intention to lose weight it can fast become a chore.
That’s why you should exercise to feel good, not to lose weight. Think to yourself, “This is going to be fun!” or “I’ll do 50 squats and meet the challenge!” Don’t think far ahead; focus entirely on the present. Even a walk in nature to appreciate how your body carries you, functions, and loves is perfect.
Often the answer you’ll find online is that exercise is the only answer for loving ourselves, and while it is a great way to focus on health overlooks, there are other options. As long as you aren’t hurting yourself or changing for others, how you express yourself physically is also important in this process.
If you find painting yourself, dying your hair, changing your clothes, or anything to be meaningful and impactful on how you view and express yourself, you should take on the challenge.
4. Thank your body
Our body isn’t just the first thing people see when we walk down the street. It does so much for us – keeps us breathing, keeps us moving, enables us to get from Point A to Point B, digests our food, and loads more. Looking at how our body serves us mechanically and how we are able to live our lives through this is a great way to find love for ourselves beyond appearances.
So when you wake up in the morning and before you go to sleep at night, say to your body, “Thank you so much for all you do for me. I love you just the way you are, you’re perfect!”
Go Love Yourself!
In the words of Buddha, “You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection” – just the way you are!
It boils down to individuality and no matter how much others or your unruly conscious mind want you to believe it, we are not all the same. It’s our differences, our quirks, our flaws, and what lies within us that makes us beautiful.
Let’s take steps to love ourselves and aid in others’ self-love. Let’s stop commenting on other people’s appearances unprompted and focus on how health and internal vibrancy is all that matters in this world. Your style, life, and appearance are all yours.
Your body is yours. This makes it more precious and priceless than anything else. Your mind can be naughty sometimes and trick you into thinking your true, authentic body is not worth your love and affection, but it is. The more you remind yourself of this each day, the more your mind will get the message and it will resign itself to your wishes.
Remember, you are valid, you are loved, you are beautiful.
Change your feed, change your mindset! Here are 10 Body Positive Social Media Accounts You Should Be Following.
