The Road To Self-Love Starts With One Step

Learning to love your body and all of its so-called imperfections is a long hard journey. It may take years or in fact may never be completed but that doesn’t mean your efforts are a waste of time. To accept and embrace who you are may need you to shift how you see yourself. Instead of looking at your arms as flabby, see them as strong and capable. Instead of looking at your stomach and thinking fat, see curvy, fluffy or more to love.

Recently I had a conversation with someone struggling to see their curves as a good thing. However, in their efforts to turn their thoughts about their body from negative to something more positive, they are choosing to give their body parts feelings. In doing so, when they speak badly about some part of their physique, they are hurting its feelings and if that isn’t some thing they would do to a friend, why would they do it to their own body?

So next time you say, “I don’t like my double chin”, imagine it crying from your harsh words. Apologize and replace those negative words with something more complimentary like, “Chin, I love you! You give my face character and distinction.”

Here are some other examples of replacing derogatory remarks with kindness:

• Instead of “I despise my rolls and pudgy tummy.” replace it with “I love my softness and curvy shape.”
• Replace “My body is useless.” with “My body works hard for me every day. It has brought a child into the world. It fights disease and illness. It gets jobs done.”
• “My fingers are fat sausages.” NO, “My fingers prepare delicious meals for my loved ones. They play music, create and hold the hands of my loved ones.”

Don’t make your body sad by being mean to it. Give it joy by your kind, complimentary and uplifting self-love statements. Be Pretty, Plus and Proud of the body you inhabit. It is the only one you’ll have so show it the respect, love and dignity it deserves. It’s doing its best and doesn’t want to hear any insults.