Your Here-and-Now Body
Hi everyone, it's Karen here. Since we are talking about respecting your body this week, I wanted to share a stagey that may help you do this. One way to build respect for your body is to honor the gifts of your here-and-now body. Even if you have strong negative feelings about your body, it has undoubtedly accomplished amazing feats and allowed you to do incredible things. But when we are so focused on what is "wrong" with our bodies, we cannot recognize all the good stuff it does for us, and allows us to do. Nurturing gratitude for those experiences can lay a strong foundation for respecting your body. It can also remind us that you do not and should not have to change your body to do things that make you feel happy and fulfilled. Too often, we put our lives on hold because we are waiting for the body we think we could or should have. While living life to the fullest in your here-and-now body can create anxiety and fear, how will that compare to the regrets you'll have about denying yourself experiences that bring you happiness and purpose?
To get you thinking, here are some things I appreciate about my here-and-now body:
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It nursed me to a full recovery when I had COVID.
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It has remarkable muscle muscle from my figure skating days as a teen, which allows me to still rock some moves at the ice rink ;)
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It gave me the strength I needed to make the solo drive to upstate NY to visit with my family (and I set a new family record for the drive time!)
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It allowed me to climb the gazillion stairs at Great Wolf Lodge (repeatedly) to slide down the awesome water slides.
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It helps me not fall to the ground when my dog tries to chase squirrels and bunnies on our walks.
If you were to recognize and appreciate what your here-and-now does for you, what would you say? While it may not come naturally, and can feel awkward to do, try recording some ideas in a journal. This way, you can refer to it when you're feeling negative about your body and remind yourself it is the greatest machine you will ever own!