5 Ways to Combat Body Shame and Build Body Appreciation
1.Cultivate a Mindfulness Practice
At the core of mindfulness is creating more spaciousness in your mind so you can be more present in life instead of ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. One of the best ways to do this is through meditation. Meditation is not about eliminating thinking, but rather learning how to disconnect from your thoughts and learning to observe them. Through meditation you can sooth anxious thoughts, tune into your body, and practice being in the present moment. This is particularly important for accepting uncertainty. You can find a plethora of meditations on YouTube, or by using a mindfulness app like Headspace or Calm.
2. Practice Listening to your Body
Our bodies have been going through a lot over the last few years. From a global Pandemic, to worldwide strife, there isn’t a single person I know who hasn’t been deeply impacted with stress and anxiety from these events. For this reason, it is extra important that you take time to tune into your body and listen to what it needs. Your body has a wealth of wisdom and will always communicate what it’s going through and what it needs. This is not a time to push yourself. This is a time to slow down, tend to your basic needs, and take care of yourself.
3. Tend to your Emotions
Right now, big emotions are at an all time high for just about everyone. Take time to acknowledge, hold space for and process your emotions even if they are uncomfortable. The best place to start is by simply naming your emotions. You have “name the beast to tame the beast.” As you build up your emotional vocabulary you will be able to more easily recognize what you are feeling. Once you recognize what you are feeling, simply hold space for it. Emotions are just energy in motion - most of the time they just need to move through you to be processed, but they can’t move through you if you avoid them or try to push them away. Doing so will only make them stronger. You can also find healthy ways to process them like journaling, talking to a therapist or a loved one, or moving your body. When you start feeling self-criticism, pause and ask yourself what’s really underneath - chances are it’s a big emotion that longs for your attention.
4. Connect with your Sensuality
Because we live in a world that objectifies women and girls, we’re taught that our bodies are for other people’s pleasure instead of our own. To overcome this, it’s helpful to connect with your sensuality. Sensuality is the enjoyment, expression, or pursuit of physical pleasure. While this might include sexual pleasure, it's important to note that sensuality is not exclusive to or limited to sex. Rather, connecting with your sensuality simply means giving yourself permission and time to slow down and indulge in your senses. This might mean luxuriating in a warm bath, pausing on your daily walk to inhale the lingering scent of fresh rain, or allowing yourself to delight in the texture of your skin as you put on moisturizer. Connecting with your sensuality opens the doorway to experiencing more presence in your day to day life and pleasure in living in your physical body.
5. Give yourself Grace and Gratitude
This is a challenging time for everyone, and everyone is doing their best, including you. Be patient with yourself and give yourself grace for not feeling perfect and “with it” all the time. If you don’t get everything on your to-do list done, call all of your relatives, clean your house, work out, meal prep, and have the most amazing sex every weekend, you are not failing at life. Everything feels a lot harder than usual right now and no one is functioning at 100% capacity. Be kind to yourself, and give yourself gratitude for everything you are doing and everything you have - even the simple things. Taking a shower, going for a walk, making your bed, brushing your hair. Being able to breath easily, having a safe place to live, being able to sleep in. All of these things warrant your gratitude, and the more you acknowledge them, the more it will positively impact your mood and sense of well-being.
If you would like to learn tangible tools you can use to enhance self-love and body appreciation, be sure to check out my online course called “Building Body Love.”