Posiitve Psychology always encourages a positive attitude in the way we look at important parts of our lives and of course ourselves. And what is more important than your body and yourself? We need to keep our bodies healthy and ‘happy’ just as we need to keep our minds ‘happy’, in good mental health. I talk about these concepts fully in THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Posiitve Therapy. The bottom line is we need to love ourselves as women, as they say, mind, body and spirit. Let’s look at some ways as women to love ourselves and our bodies effectively!
BEGIN to treasure and love yourself as a person and of course, a woman..
Our bodies change throughout our lives but the person you are-the values you emulate, the good deeds you can do, stay and can grow for a lifetime. Identifying your values, your strengths, your competencies and your potential as a person will automatically begin to move your focus on yourself to what you can achieve as a grown-up, rather than how you look
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BEGIN to treasure the story of your own life.
Each woman has a very personal story with many adventures, that is HER story. Beginning to see your own story within the flow of generations of women who have come before and will come after you, will help move the focus of ‘self’ to you as a rather, rather than as an image.
BEGIN to love your body for all it can do for you.
A woman’s body is a fabulous machine-it makes babies, it cries, it allows us to talk and hug, and see, etc. Start to appreciate on a daily basis parts of your body and their functions. If your begin to love your ‘middle’ for its capacities to digest food, give us energy and eliminate toxins, than you will not just be focusing on the negative-"my tummy is too fat," etc
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LOVE your body so you can have an even more beautiful and healthy body!
What we love, we take care of! Most people take care of their eyesight. Why? It is so precious to us. Start to think about every part of your body in the same way. A stomach that doesn’t have to digest needless extra food will work more efficiently! Knees that don’t have to hold up extra pounds will have less pain.
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REMEMBER the ‘airbrush’ and that we don’t walk around in real life ‘airbrushed.’
We are inundated in today’s society by sexy pictures of women that have been airbrushed, touched up, etc. Also, we are looking at extraordinary women who have decided to structure and work on their bodies and make-up hours a day, just to achieve a certain look. Is that real life? Do we have time for a one hour make-up job and two hours at the gym and do we have the money for the most perfect outfit for our bodies? And even if the answer is yes, is that really living?
USE your body for health and pleasure and you will love yourself!
When we exercise in ways that fit us-I love to dance, I have no interest in volleyball or swimming in the ocean, we feel a pleasure in the exercises as we do them and feel good later. And don’t forget our bodies are equipped to give us lots of pleasure. Hugs increase good mental health for example.
PASS ON your ways of loving yourself to the next generation so they will suffer from fewer disorders such as eating disorders.
Take pleasure with your kids in nutritional fun eating. Praise them for using their bodies for health, encouraging their sports, dancing in the living room, etc. Not just the competition part of it. Love them-hug them, make them comfortable in being a person. They will thank you by loving themselves as people and passing the message on!.
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
