Are you friends with your body? You may be asking, “what does that mean?” Well, for example, do you like being in your body? Do you like how your body feels when you do some fun physical activity? When you relax with friends or music or a hot bath? When you eat some yummy food? When you have a good night’s sleep? Do you speak kindly about your body, like you would a close friend? The idea of being friends with our bodies may sound a bit corny. But actually, feeling good about our bodies is part of feeling good about ourselves. And, we like that, right? Let’s explore making friends with our body…
Do you put your body down? You are not alone. It is common for girls and women to have an internal conversation (and sometimes external conversation) in which they are criticizing and insulting their body daily. This is even more intense during the month of January where many New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight. Hearing negative insulting messages regularly about your body does effect how you feel about yourself. But let’s be real. We’re all human; sometimes we’re just not happy about who we are. The goal here is not to suggest that anyone can feel 100% positive about their body all day every day. But we can dis ourselves LESS.
Would you like to be less critical about your body? You may be wondering “what CAN I do when negative thoughts about my body start to take over in my head?” Yikes!
We’ve developed some cool activities and exercises you can use to become a better friend to your body–and to feel better about yourself! These body friendship activities may help carry you through your day.
Making Friends with Your Body, Exercise 1: Slowing Down the Spiral
Making Friends with Your Body, Exercise 2: Building Blocks of Appreciation
Making Friends with Your Body, Exercise 3: Inspiration Station