When I’m tempted to be overly critical of my own body — in past or present form — I refocus my attention on the following:
1. My body has been beautiful at every size.
I think that beauty truly radiates from the inside out, and I’m most beautiful when I’m treating myself well on the inside. I do this by drinking water, eating good things, sleeping, praying, tending to my emotional needs and all that “self-care” stuff. When mind, body and spirit are in balance, I feel good, which motivates me to continue to care for myself. All of this eventually shows on the outside. This self-care cycle is something I’ve experienced at both slimmer and larger sizes and I love celebrating the beauty of being healthy at any size.
2. My body has accomplished awesome things.
My body has hiked mountains and waded streams, played instruments and sang melodies, held my newborn baby sister and danced to the Ghostbusters theme song with my now not-so-baby sister. My body is a gift and I’m grateful for all the things it can do.
3. My body deserves love.
A lifetime of conditioning by media and society teaches us to criticize, alter or at best “accept” our bodies. This especially rings true if our body happens to be bigger, smaller, darker or somehow otherwise different from the so-called “norm.”
But we can do better than that and move from mere acceptance to actually loving our own bodies. As Jes of The Militant Baker so eloquently stated, “You’re allowed to fall in love with yourself. I promise. This will be the scariest thing you will ever do, and that’s okay. It will also be the most amazing (albeit super gradual) experience you will ever have. It doesn’t make you narcissistic. It doesn’t make you vain. It is liberating in every form of the word.”
Our bodies and physical appearance might not be the most important aspect of who we are but they are essential aspects. After all, everyone lives their entire lives on earth inside a body. As a Christian, I believe that our bodies are temples that can be used to glorify God. Which makes them pretty darn awesome. If God loves us, then we can, too — mind, soul and body.
