As a life and wellness coach who works with women to improve self-esteem and body image, some people wonder how I became comfortable with my body. Did it come naturally or did I have to work at it?
Wait. I’m comfortable with my body!? Who said?
No, I am not totally comfortable with my body, but I work at it.
As women in this society, I’m not sure that it’s possible to reach a place where we are completely unaffected by social expectations of beauty or completely free of comparing ourselves to other women and images we see in the media.
And as we endeavor to navigate to a place of greater comfort with our bodies, sometimes it’s difficult to figure out where the line is drawn between a healthy desire to care for our appearance and the point at which that desire disables or disempowers us.
I mean, I LIKE to feel pretty. I do. I suspect I’m not going out on a limb to say you probably do to.
I don't want to give that up.
Is that a terrible thing? I don’t think so.
It’s probably not surprising that research shows that positive feelings about one’s appearance predict well-being.
But, as women, society keeps asking us to evaluate and question our appearance, and this makes it difficult to have positive feelings about how we look. We are asked to think about whether our complexion is clear and even toned, whether our eye lashes are dark, thick, and long enough, if our lips are plump enough, if our hair has the right amount of body or is vibrant in color. We are asked to consider whether we are an attractive size and if our shape has the right proportions. We are asked to evaluate how plump our breasts are, how flat our stomach is, how wide our hips are, and whether the cellulite on our thighs is noticeable.
Continue Reading...Wanna Love Your Body? Start With Loving Mine