“I can’t possibly love my body, there’s so much I dislike about how I look, what should I do?”
OMG we totally hear you! It can be impossible sometimes to think about being super confident with what you see in the mirror, if there’s genuinely aspects of your appearance that bring you distress, sadness and even pain.
The good news is, you might not have to love your body. Let me explain…
In the moments if/when you strongly dislike something about your body, I firstly encourage you to think about taking a moment for self compassion and self care (please check out our other journal posts to learn more). This can allow you to reflect on the next big topic I want to introduce you to… body acceptance and neutrality.
Most people that are confident in their body or have a “healthy body image” focus on thinking and behaving in a way that is aligned with body acceptance. This is where we can be compassionate, respectful and appreciative of your inner self and body that you have. It allows space for days when you feel you are slaying, days when you feel yuck and everything in between.
So body acceptance can be different for everyone, but it might look like;
Feeling “neutral” about our body. Here, we shift the focus to a middle ground, whereby there is neither feelings of love or hate or any strong emotional focus on the body’s appearance at all. If you’re feeling neutral, you recognise that the body is simply a vessel that carries us through life. My favourite way to think about body neutrality is just think of it like I’m just “vibing” through life, and my body is here for the ride with me.
Body acceptance might also encourage us to reflect on shape and size diversity. Body diversity can bring so much strength and beauty to society, and if we all looked the same we wouldn’t be human. Do all your friends, family and teachers look identical to you? I highly doubt it. And that’s so cool!
Practicing self-compassion, when thinking about your body can be helpful. Some people might have things they don’t love about themselves or how they look, but don’t feel long term stress, sadness and pressure in wanting to change these things. Check out our self compassion journal for idea’s on how to talk more compassionately towards yourself.
Body acceptance might also look like paying attention to the natural and innate needs of the body like sleep, food and movement. For example, do you listen to your belly when it grumbles for food
Body acceptance can also look like joining in on things that you enjoy and align with your values – so like going to the beach, regardless of what your body looks like in bathers.
Bottom line is, if you don’t LOVE your body, that’s totally ok! What’s not ok, is if this disliking your body is holding you back from living your best life and being happy and healthy.
A healthy body image is more likely to be achieved if a compassionate, accepting, respectful and appreciating relationship is established between our inner self and the body that we live in.
Take some time to think about this idea of body acceptance to shift your focus on your body image.
Hope this helps!
— Amelia Weddell, Dietitian and BASE Director