Loving your body

Loving your body is hard to do sometimes. For me it's REALLY hard to love my body. I was abused as a young child and taught that my body was unsafe, dirty, disgusting, and just plain bad. I developed my eating disorder out of stress, and out of hatred for my body. I hoped that by changing my body, losing weight, I would be happier somehow. Boy was I wrong.

As I lost weight, I had moments of happiness followed by days and weeks of complete devastation and sorrow. Watching my body waste into bones and skin. My hair falling out. Fainting and passing out. Being dizzy, breaking fingernails, growing a layer of "peach fuzz." At no weight have I been happy with my body. Not at my lowest weight, not at my highest weight. No matter what the scale says, I am unhappy. I've come to accept that. No number will make me happy or satisfied.

I don't love, or even like my body. But I AM grateful for having a body. The body is a wonderful, amazing thing if you think about it. I have my brain, my heart that pumps blood through my body. I have a mouth to smile and talk and laugh, I have eyes to see, and a nose to smell (Hopefully good things :D) I have strong arms and hands that let me write and type and pet my kitty. I have my legs to help me walk, and skip, and dance, and run, and do jumping jacks. I have hair that's curly and makes me feel good. I have curves because some day (far away) I want to have children.

I may feel like I hate my body, but there are SO many things to be grateful for. Ever opening and every function my body has every day is a miracle.

Ways to love your body:

Feed it! Eat what your body needs, listen to your hunger cues, learn to eat intuitively
Wear clothes that make you feel good!
Paint your nails and toes, get a facial or massage (if you feel comfortable with that - I know I don't yet)
Drink lots of water, stay hydrated
Have a treat every so often. If you are craving chocolate, have a piece of chocolate!!
Cuddle with warm blankets. I find this really soothing.
Listen to your favorite music and sing or dance along. I LOVE doing this... mostly when I'm alone in the car :)
Say affirmations. Tell your body that you are grateful it functions, and that you love it no matter what, and that YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH no matter what size, or shape, or height, or weight you are. You are special, you are radiant, you are kind, you are beautiful!!!

Every time you find yourself hating on your body turn the thought around and say two things that are positive. For example: "I am so fat today"
Response: "My body is healthy just how it is." "I can learn to embrace and love this new body that does so much for me!"

How do YOU love your body?