How To Develop A Positive Body Image

What is it that you really want? Have you ever thought about it?

Do you know most people never really consider what they want, or if they do, they think in terms of “I’d like a TV” or “I’d love a pair of Jimmy Choo’s” (which, totally with you on that one). Very few people ever think about what makes them really happy, what they would like to contribute to the world or how they would love to spend their time.

The reason why we don’t think about those things is that we can’t see how we can possibly achieve that. Or, more importantly, we see that it’s totally impossible to have what we really want. So we consider what we want in terms of what we can actually deliver.

Everyone who’s every produced anything of value in the world, be it an invention, a novel, an amazing mathematical formula that changed the course of science did so without any idea how they were going to do that. They decided they were going to do it and then worked out the how afterwards.

Visualisation is the term: see where you want to go, feel how it would be, and then take baby steps in that direction.

I want to develop a positive body image; but what does that mean? It’s really rather an airy fairy sort of statement without much actual guts to it. So lets be clear. Lets define what a positive body image means to me.

The way I want to do this is to get really specific. I need to identify those things that currently bother me and find the flip side. How will I know that those thoughts are gone? What will it feel like to love myself just the way I am? What would I be doing? How would I be feeling?

Well, this is what I think …

I’m so happy and grateful now that my body image has changed so much. I just feel fabulous. And completely different. I can’t believe how much time I used to devote to beating myself up about my size and shape and health. Things are completely different now.

One of the biggest changes is in how I feel about my size. I have accepted that I’m me and that I’m not the shape that society deems as ‘acceptable’ but, you know screw society. I deserve to be me and I’m glad that I’ve accepted that. I no longer feel ashamed of myself; I feel happy and centred and accepted. I interact with people easily and with so much more confidence. I’m shocked when I meet people who have a problem with my size, but I forgive them; it’s just what they’re trained to think. And because I don’t expect discrimination any more I’ve met some amazing people who like me just the way I am. It’s great.

Physically I feel so much better. I was always healthy but now I have so much energy and stamina. I feel my way with food and drink and everything I put into my body. Nowdays I eat when I’m hungry and if I’m craving something I just have it. It’s not even something I think about any more other than, yummy, I want that. And that translates through my whole life. If I feel tired I sleep. If I feel anxious I do something soothing like take a bath or get a back rub. If I want to go for a walk I go for walk. If I want to lie on the couch and vegetate I do that too. I think maybe I’m doing more exercise than I ever did before, but I’m not sure, probably because I don’t think of it as exerise any more; now it’s having fun.

I still have days when I get down on myself, but they’re the exception nowdays not the rule. I’m just happier and I’m so grateful for that.

Yeah, that’s what I want. Well, that and the Jimmy Choo’s.

What do you want? Think about it. Get really clear on what you want, not just with body image but with everything in your life. How can you get there if you don’t know where there is?

Lisa