I was talking with a woman I admire today about something she learned at a conference she attended last weekend. She was advised to think of what she appreciates about her body and to write it down.
I don't think I've ever done that before.
In recent months I've become aware that the trite phrase "comparison is the thief of joy" applies to far more thieveries than we'd cared to admit, leaving us far poorer in the confidence department than we like to acknowledge.
There's comparing our body image to that of an admired friend, a gorgeous family member, a glam movie star; subsequently leaving us dissatisfied and feeling overwhelmingly ugly.
There's then the flip comparison of believing some part of us is far more appealing than another's, leading us down a sinful snickering path of vain self-absorption and false self-certainty.
And then, most covert, there's that devil that assures us that our past selves of yesteryear were prime, lush, and lovely (and that our present selves are nothing more than a husk of that once gorgeous girl).
How dark and distant we fall from true self-compassion and glowing self-worth.
I've been in and out of those paralleling pitfalls of comparison in my life, but today I caged them and I wrote a list of eleven things I love about my body. Not my body from yesterday or what I hope my body will be tomorrow. I wrote down what I love about my body right here, right now, today.
I thought about listing them, but that seemed contrary to the message of this post. I don't want you to think about anyone else's features but your own. So I'll say simply this:
Turn off your screen, grab a pen and paper. Turn your phone on airplane mode for five minutes so you're not interrupted. List eleven things you love about your own body in this very very moment. Love your body. Love yourself.
I don't think I've ever done that before.
In recent months I've become aware that the trite phrase "comparison is the thief of joy" applies to far more thieveries than we'd cared to admit, leaving us far poorer in the confidence department than we like to acknowledge.
There's comparing our body image to that of an admired friend, a gorgeous family member, a glam movie star; subsequently leaving us dissatisfied and feeling overwhelmingly ugly.
There's then the flip comparison of believing some part of us is far more appealing than another's, leading us down a sinful snickering path of vain self-absorption and false self-certainty.
And then, most covert, there's that devil that assures us that our past selves of yesteryear were prime, lush, and lovely (and that our present selves are nothing more than a husk of that once gorgeous girl).
How dark and distant we fall from true self-compassion and glowing self-worth.
I've been in and out of those paralleling pitfalls of comparison in my life, but today I caged them and I wrote a list of eleven things I love about my body. Not my body from yesterday or what I hope my body will be tomorrow. I wrote down what I love about my body right here, right now, today.
I thought about listing them, but that seemed contrary to the message of this post. I don't want you to think about anyone else's features but your own. So I'll say simply this:
Turn off your screen, grab a pen and paper. Turn your phone on airplane mode for five minutes so you're not interrupted. List eleven things you love about your own body in this very very moment. Love your body. Love yourself.
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