Skinnier thighs, longer legs, bigger eyes or thicker hair. In our culture, people are conditioned to believe their value and worth depends on their physical appearance. Having a love-hate relationship with our bodies is generally accepted. Judging ourselves or others by appearance is considered normal. Instead of dreaming about our heart’s desires we dream about the latest diet trends and fitting standards of beauty set by society. It seems almost impossible to love your body today.
We spend hours worrying about cellulite, curves or stretch marks. Shouldn’t we be spending that time on finding our passion and fulfilling our life’s purpose?
The constant exposure to images of women with Photoshopped thigh gaps, removed wrinkles and lengthened eyelashes negatively affects the way we feel about our bodies and eventually about ourselves.
Love Your Body
What happened to loving and honoring our bodies just the way they are? It’s easy to forgot about all the amazing things our bodies allow us to do every single day. They work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to keep us functioning so that we’re able to do the things what we were put on the earth to do for. No matter how bad we treat them, they’re there to take care of us when we’re sick. Our bodies comfort us when we feel sad and are our companion when we feel lonely. So instead of trying to change our bodies to look like retouched images the Beauty Industry sells us, it’s time to start celebrating our bodies’ natural beauty, functionality and existence.
Here are some reasons why you should embrace and love your body exactly as it is.
1. You’ll regret it if you don’t love your body
We are experts in criticizing our bodies or comparing it to other people and we can spend hours standing in front of the mirror, worrying about our hips, thighs or waistlines, and so we forget to pay attention to the beautiful reflection that is standing right in front of us. Worrying about your body when you’re in your twenties or thirties is such a waste of the best years of your life. When I look at photos of myself from when I was 17 I can only think, why on earth did that girl hate her body and self so much. I wish I had knew then what I know now.
Appreciate your body and self for being an authentic and uniquely shaped human being.
2. You’ll feel more grounded if you love your body
Our bodies are nothing but homes for our souls. It’s simply impossible to feel grounded and experience self-love when we keep battling our homes. Once we allow ourselves to embrace our precious homes, we’ll be able to experience inner peace and find self-love.
Your body doesn’t define your worth, the inside does. But how can the inside bloom when it doesn’t feel at ease in its home.
Your body is your vehicle through life.
3. Think of all the wonderful things your body can do for you
It walks. It dances. It laughs and it cries. It lets you sing in the shower. It allows you to dream and it enables you to see and explore the world. Your body has a pretty amazing resume, so it’s time to start appreciating it for all the things it can do for you. Take a look at your reflection in the mirror and realize that you’re whole and unique. There is only one version of you. In my opinion, that’s pretty amazing.
4. You will feel more confident when you love your body
How can you feel confident and strong when you don’t accept your body? You can’t.
When you feel comfortable in your own skin, you can reconnect with your strong and authentic self.
Having a good relationship with your body allows you to be compassionate towards yourself and to treat your body with love and respect. When you feel confident about yourself, you are no longer dependent on the opinions of other people. And you are ready to start creating a life that you want.
5. You will feel stronger and empowered when you love your body
When you’re constantly criticizing yourself and worrying about your weight and body parts, you end up feeling anxious and dependent on how others perceive you. Why are we such great experts in being hard on ourselves? When we’re scrutinizing ourselves in the mirror and searching for ways to improve our looks, we don’t realize that what we’re really looking for is a way to feel secure and good about ourselves. What you are inside shows on your face.
We’re looking for internal validation in the external world.
Our physical looks aren’t the problem, but the way we feel inside reflects out and causes us to hate our bodies.
Accepting your body all starts with accepting yourself. So embrace your internal beauty and realize that you are capable of doing anything that you want. When you feel strong and independent you are able to move forward to whatever your life’s purpose is.
6. It’s incredibly uplifting to love your body
In our society, people are conditioned to believe they need to fit certain standards and to have a “perfect” body. Media makes us believe we’re not good enough unless we are thinner, taller, faster, smarter etc. We lose our souls in fancy ads and end up living a life that drains us and makes us feel unworthy and stuck. It’s time to focus on your own values and beliefs, instead of the ones sold to you by the media. What’s your dream? What’s your passion and your life’s calling? Letting go of these standards and embracing your flaws, imperfections and uniqueness is incredibly freeing.
There is only one you, so embrace and celebrate it!
Image Source: Pinterest
Thank you Miriam! Beautiful.
Sitting with this one: “There is only one version of you. In my opinion, that’s pretty amazing.”
Kudos to being ourselves!
Thanks Erin! We’re all unique creatures 🙂 hugs!
“There is only one you, so embrace and celebrate it!” Absolutely, very positive message! Let’s embrace each other as individuals, accept what we cannot change, and love ourselves for who we are.
“…how can the inside bloom when it doesn’t feel at ease in its home.” Wow. Love this. thank you!!
That’s so true Rachel!! Sending a big hug
Thank you for your nice comment Rachel! You deserve to feel at ease in your home 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!!