Reflections on Body Image and So Much More
Body image is a huge topic and several people have asked me to share my thoughts about it and how to cope with a negative self-view in a way that helps them feel better.
In today’s musings I share my take on body image and so much more and how this can be applied to your whole life.
Audio Transcription:
Hello, and welcome to my musings.
I’ve had several people ask me to talk about body image, so I wanted to bring my thoughts about this to you today.
First let me say that I am not an expert on this topic by any means, other than the fact that I have a body and I’ve had a complicated relationship with it off and on throughout my life.
I have been through the struggles, and they continue to pop up for me even now. I have been in the place of not liking my body, feeling very overwhelmed with the dislike and feeling the panic that ensued as I have felt the desire to change it and knowing that there is no magic wand, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to concoct the perfect plan to fix, improve or change the part of me that I felt was not right.
There is a lot to my personal story around this and someday I may share it, but for now, I want to share my perspective from this place in time, which I feel is a much healthier, happier place.
You see, it really boils down to this: when we are not happy with what is, in this very moment, we are in resistance and resistance causes suffering. And when we are in a place of resistance and suffering, we cannot effect change in a way that supports us. We can be reactive and panicky. We could make rash decisions. We are probably coming from a place of fear or anger as opposed to love and faith.
So I offer you this, in life we are either in resistance or acceptance. When we resist what is, we suffer. When we accept what is, we feel peace and from a place of peace, we are much better able to effect change if we decide to do so.
This perspective of resistance vs acceptance can actually be applied to all things in life, not just body image, and I want to offer you a way to feeling better when you are in resistance.
It’s as “simple” as this, and I put simple in quotation marks, because it can feel paradoxical and kind of weird at first. But I offer you this, what if, when you are struggling with body image, or anything else for that matter, you take a moment to breathe. To literally close your eyes, take a deep breath in and let it out. Relaxing your body and seeing the resistance softening around the edges. Letting go of any judgements you have about the situation or more importantly, your thoughts about it.
What if, in this very moment, you could accept the thought that whatever is, just is and that perhaps even, there is nothing wrong with it. What if you could feel into the fact that the way you are, in this very moment is perfection, because it truly is. And do you know how I can say that? Because it is the way you are in this moment. There is nothing wrong or bad. It just is.
That’s really it. That is all there is to it. Breathe, relax and in this moment, know that all is well. You are fine. Let go of the judgements you have about yourself. They are not serving you.
You are you in this moment in time. Do you feel a release around this? Can you let go of the pain?
Now, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have goals for yourself or that there aren’t things in your life that you’d like to experience, but you are much more able to know what works for you from a place of peace, calm and acceptance as opposed to anger, fear and judgement.
I promise you, that feeling peaceful and relaxed will serve you so much more than resistance, fear and anxiety.
And, the more you practice this, the more natural it will become and you will more easily come back to your breath and back to your body and that is where the magic lies, deep within you. It’s a remembering of who you truly are. That you are in fact a divine being who is connected to all that is at all times and by coming back to your breath and your body, you are remembering this and tuning in to your true self.
So, I invite you to play with this over the next week or two. Next week I’ll share a meditation to walk you through this process of coming into acceptance and non-judgement.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts about this topic and anything else you’d like me to expand upon. I really want to be here in service to you.
Before I end today, I’m thrilled to tell you that beginning this week, I’ll be offering a bi-weekly 30-minute meditation and oracle card pull. These sessions will offer you the opportunity to take some well-deserved time for yourself to come back into your body and settle your nervous system as well as the fun of seeing what the oracle card has to say to you!
I’ve offered these sessions to other private groups and organizations, but now I want to open it up to my community.
For more info, please SIGN-UP with your email in the form below to receive the link to join the LIVE group meditation happening tomorrow, Monday November 20th @ 7:30pm EST and if you’re listening or reading this after the 20th, just sign-up for upcoming meditations!
And until next time please remember that true peace is always just one breath away.
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