Friday, October 21, 2005
body love
i think for many of us when we think about our lives, how well they are going, how much we feel we are finding success in them, and so on, we think mostly about our accomplishments - about the external actions we have taken.
and while these things are important, i've been thinking lately about being pleased with our lives on all levels - including the physical level. we live in a culture where being unabashedly pleased with our physical selves is tricky to say the least.
it's due to no fault of our own that we can't hold onto the reality that we are beautiful, housed in amazing bodies that serve us moment by moment in extraordinary ways. we live in a culture where "beauty" as defined by those who sell it to us on a daily basis is unattainable except for the smallest percentage of humanity - and even for them it's a constantly shifting target.
imagining our lives outside of this beautification construct is hard to do. it permeates everything, including our consciousness. but fighting to do so is worth it. how can we really be wholly pleased with ourselves and act with confidence if on some level we are always beating ourselves up for having a too small of a chest or a too of a big belly?
i came across a quote recently, that got me thinking about tackling my negative thoughts head on. here's what it said:
i'd love for you to try the experiment with me, spread the body love i say!
and as always share the results of your experiments here!
dream big,
-kirsten
and while these things are important, i've been thinking lately about being pleased with our lives on all levels - including the physical level. we live in a culture where being unabashedly pleased with our physical selves is tricky to say the least.
it's due to no fault of our own that we can't hold onto the reality that we are beautiful, housed in amazing bodies that serve us moment by moment in extraordinary ways. we live in a culture where "beauty" as defined by those who sell it to us on a daily basis is unattainable except for the smallest percentage of humanity - and even for them it's a constantly shifting target.
imagining our lives outside of this beautification construct is hard to do. it permeates everything, including our consciousness. but fighting to do so is worth it. how can we really be wholly pleased with ourselves and act with confidence if on some level we are always beating ourselves up for having a too small of a chest or a too of a big belly?
i came across a quote recently, that got me thinking about tackling my negative thoughts head on. here's what it said:
If I were you, every time I put on a garment - pair of shoes, or gloves, or a T-shirt - I'd say something really nice to your body.wow, i thought. what a paradigm shift that'd be! so, i've decided to try it. thanking and complimenting my body regularly - outloud even! i've found so far that just noticing it more is immensely helpful. and in particular noticing the parts i'm pleased with.
i'd love for you to try the experiment with me, spread the body love i say!
and as always share the results of your experiments here!
dream big,
-kirsten
# posted by kirsten johnson @ 5:39 AM 
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Great post and idea! Easy to say, hard to do (consistently, at least).
I wonder, though...showing a little love and improving our view of what's already beautiful (and a lot is) is good, but I worry about doing so without any work towards preservation and improvement, it could encourage laziness or a state of false contentment. One could conceivably convince oneself that things are great and diet, exercise, and hygeine aren't important anymore.
In my own life, I've found it helps to be working on one aspect of the body or another--even something small and easy--and create a feedback loop. You see some improvement, start talking it up to yourself and beeming about it, thus psyching yourself up for further improvement...
Anyhow, I'm just thinking out loud. We're down enough on our bodies that I don't see any risk in trying this strategy, so I hope no one takes this as an argument against what you suggest.
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I wonder, though...showing a little love and improving our view of what's already beautiful (and a lot is) is good, but I worry about doing so without any work towards preservation and improvement, it could encourage laziness or a state of false contentment. One could conceivably convince oneself that things are great and diet, exercise, and hygeine aren't important anymore.
In my own life, I've found it helps to be working on one aspect of the body or another--even something small and easy--and create a feedback loop. You see some improvement, start talking it up to yourself and beeming about it, thus psyching yourself up for further improvement...
Anyhow, I'm just thinking out loud. We're down enough on our bodies that I don't see any risk in trying this strategy, so I hope no one takes this as an argument against what you suggest.
# posted by 
: 4:11 PM
: 4:11 PM << Home