37. learning to love ourselves...

37.

Body acceptance: a huge step into self-care

​When we start a health and wellbeing journey, very often we come across a topic that is very important - our relationship with our body.
Especially for us women there are many factors including social pressure that have shaped our view of what we think is healthy, beautiful, desirable and more. Also, for women the bodies go through much more dynamic changes with giving birth, perimenopause, hormonal changes and more.

Body acceptance is a crucial step toward self-care, helping you embrace our body as it is, without judgment. Often it sounds easier than it is in practice, as the layers of social conditioning come to surface. But research shows there are a few practices that help us on that journey.
3 Body Acceptance Practices:

• Positive affirmations: Replace negative self-talk with affirmations like, “My body is capable and adaptable.” or “My body serves me so well, unconditionally, and I appreciate it greatly”.
  
  
• Mindful movement: Engaging in physical activities that feel good and that help us celebrate our body - like yoga and dancing.
  
  
• Gratitude for our body: My personal affirmation often is - “look at these cute little toes, it is the same toes I was born with. ” because it reminds me of the journey my body has been on. It has been with me my whole life, and it is the same cute baby body, just a little bigger.

Nowadays there are really innovative body acceptance rituals and practices like boudoir sessions with a photographer that allows women to see themselves in a different light; or naked swimming and spa sessions that also allow us to see that nobody has a magazine body. 

I have heard about affirmations, do they actually work?
               They do. But they are also one element of a framework.