TUNE IN: APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY | STITCHER
I think what keeps some of us from getting that body we want is our struggle to accept the current body we have. To get the body you want, you MUST first accept the body you have, RIGHT NOW, at this very moment. And this requires radical acceptance.
Here’s the thing we must recognize – bad body image days are inevitable.
- We continuously see photos from media that trigger negative thoughts about our bodies.
- Others continuously make comments about our weight.
- We have friends that are insecure about their bodies, and it might trigger some insecurity in our own.
This is just the world we live in. However, the better we work through our body image issues as they arise, the less destructive it becomes. Until we accept our bodies as they are today, NO. WEIGHT LOSS. WILL. EVER. BE. ENOUGH. It is the absolute truth!
BUT HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
WHAT YOU NEED IS NOT JUST ACCEPTANCE; IT IS RADICAL ACCEPTANCE.
- Radical acceptance means fully surrendering: mind, body, and soul to the fact that your body looks like it does today.
- Radical acceptance means you stop: letting your body looks ruin your day because your body does not look the way you want it to.
- Radical acceptance means letting go of the idea that your happiness and the way that your body looks are tied together.
HOW DO I APPLY THIS TO ACCEPTING MY BODY?
You must acknowledge the facts and consciously accept your body as it is today. In the wise words of Mark Manson, “No truly happy person feels the need to stand in front of the mirror and recite that she’s is happy, she just is.”
No person who loves their body has to stand in front of the mirror and recite that she loves her body; she just does. If we accept our bodies as they are today, we can do it tomorrow. And if we can do it tomorrow, we can do it the next day. And this snowball effect of acceptance will eventually lead you to truly love your body as it is!
WHAT IF YOU TRIED THIS INSTEAD?
Instead of looking in the mirror and reciting I love my stomach when you don’t, try… “I don’t love that my stomach rolls over my shorts when I sit, but today I am choosing to accept my stomach as it is, and that means I will accept my stomach when it rolls over my shorts while sitting.”
Instead of looking in the mirror and reciting, I love my legs when you don’t, try… “I don’t love that I have cellulite on the back of my legs, and I don’t love that my legs rub when I walk, but today I am choosing to accept my legs as they are, and that means I will accept that I have cellulite and I will accept that my legs rub when they walk.”
Instead of looking in the mirror and reciting I love my boobs, when you don’t – try… “I don’t love that my boobs are saggy when I take off my bra, but today I am choosing to accept my boobs as they are, and that means I will accept that they sag when I take my bra off.”
Instead of looking in the mirror and reciting I love my booty, when you don’t – try… “I don’t love that my booty hangs low and jiggles when I walk, but today I am choosing to accept my booty as it is, and that means I will accept that it hangs low and accept that it jiggles when I walk.”
You get the picture.
And the reason why this works is that it takes the pressure and focus off of what we don’t like and allows us to become open to change and grow.
WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?
Practice!! This is not something that is a one-and-done. However, by training your mind to accept rather than reject your body as it is, you can reduce suffering and bring yourself more peace!
