Summertime always brings so much fun and excitement, but it also tends to bring up tons of insecurities about how we look. There's no denying that wearing a swimsuit can be intimidating. My good friend Maggie recently tweeted: "Seeing 'How To Get a Bikini Body' posts makes my heart hurt. How to get a bikini body? You put a bikini on your body, that simple." This girl is wise beyond her years and I am proud to call her a friend. Maggie brought to my attention something that is really relevant and so important right now. And that is being kind to yourself. I'm sure the topic body image and self love is incredibly relevant to many of us. When we look in the mirror, it is so easy to pick out our perceived "flaws" instead of recognizing the beautiful human beings we are. I've posted about body image before, and I don't think we can emphasize it's importance enough. Today the always lovely holistic health coach, Maria Marlowe, is here to share her perspective on being kind to your body and mind.
Being Kind to Yourself
Guest Post by Maria Marlowe
I’m sure you can agree, nothing good ever came out of hate, right? So why would you ever want to hate on yourself? A negative body image is something many women struggle with; I’ve seen some reports say that as many 70% of women don’t like their body! I used to feel that way, too. Throughout high school and college, I had very bad acne, which I tormented myself over. I would just sit in the mirror and cry over how hideous I had become, and feel awful about my terrible misfortune. The more I obsessed over it, the more I picked at it, and the worse it got. But, when I finally let go and made a conscious effort not to cry or hurl insults or be upset over it, and instead focus on finding the root cause of it and experimenting to get rid of it, lo and behold my skin calmed down, and eventually cleared up. In doing research, I realized that many of our ailments are our body’s SOS that we’re not taking care of our body correctly.
If you struggle with body image issues, start a daily gratitude practice. Every day as soon as you wake up list 5 things you’re grateful for, either in your head or in a journal. And if you have a specific body image hang up, like “I hate my fat thighs”, make sure you say something nice about them, like, “I am so grateful for my strong legs that allow me to run and walk”.
When you are hating yourself, it’s so much easier to quit, or make poor food and lifestyle choices. However, when you accept and love your body, all of a sudden it becomes so much easier to take care of it and nourish it properly. Remember, you’re the only one who can take care of yourself. This is the only body you’ve got, so make sure you treat it like gold.
When you are hating yourself, it’s so much easier to quit, or make poor food and lifestyle choices. However, when you accept and love your body, all of a sudden it becomes so much easier to take care of it and nourish it properly. Remember, you’re the only one who can take care of yourself. This is the only body you’ve got, so make sure you treat it like gold.
PS: Another health post by Maria Marlowe and my story about body positivity
