Reasons to love your body and how to love it more and more

Sometimes it seems like there just aren’t enough reasons to love your body. The media and indeed global society are full of negative comparisons, that make you feel like your body doesn’t measure up. This article is about understanding why liking your body isn’t that important, but loving it is probably the most important aspect of your physical and psychological well-being.

Just not good enough

Maybe your body isn’t good enough for you. Not thin enough or thick enough, not tall enough or short enough, not symmetrical or balanced enough. Not white enough or tanned enough, not hairy enough or smooth enough. Not pretty enough or good looking enough, not fit enough or strong enough, not firm enough or big enough. Not healthy enough or young enough – and this gets worse as you age, unless, of course, you’re ageing gracefully.

Or maybe your body is just too much. Too big, too fat, too ill, too ugly, too bald, too whatever.  Whether it’s not enough or too much, the bottom line is you don’t believe it’s good enough. The funny thing is that how your body looks to you (or to others) shouldn’t be one of the reasons to love your body at all.

You and your body are one entity

It’s weird how you separate yourself from your body when in fact, you and your body are one thing. In simple terms, your body is you because without your body you’d be um, dead. There are some interesting theories about uploading your consciousness in some kind of super-computer or cloud for example, but science and technology aren’t there yet.

Your sense of yourself with all your ideas about “me” isn’t some kind of nebulous spiritual consciousness that’s separate from your physical being. Your consciousness, your personality and your ideas about yourself and your world, are part of your physical brain, i.e. ‘you’ are a part of your body.

You don’t have to like your body to love it 

Did you know that you don’t need to like your body or even any part of your body to love it? It’s entirely possible that your face isn’t good looking. Or that your body isn’t attractive (although whether a face or body is attractive or not is incredibly subjective). Possibly your body genuinely isn’t healthy, or strong. Maybe you have some chronic illness or disability. Could be your body is missing important bits, like limbs or organs or breasts or appendages. Or maybe your body is deformed in some way. Nevertheless, loving your body is about what you do for your body, not what you feel about it.

Love is a series of actions

Love isn’t a feeling, although you may think of it that way. Love is a series of actions over time, which build, strengthen and support an emotional bond. Think about it – even when you deeply love your family member, your child, your friend, your pet, or your job, there are times when you don’t like them at all. You may look at them and feel all sorts of negative feelings at times. And that’s ok because love is far greater than like. Love is what keeps you showing up even when it’s really hard.

Loving your body is about taking caring actions to build, strengthen, and support your health and well-being. Loving your body is about being grateful for your body. It’s about focusing on health rather than appearance. It’s about being grateful for the life you’ve got, which is within the body you have.

It’s never too late

It’s never too late to start treating your body better, caring for it and building a stronger emotional bond with it. No matter how poorly you’ve treated your body in the past, or no matter how sick or old your body might be, you and your body will only benefit from focusing on the reasons to love your body. Practising gratitude for your body and making choices to take care of your body go hand in hand to build your overall health and therefore, your wellbeing.

BFB Success Formula: Reasons to love your body and how to love it more and more

1. Reflect on this:

• Your body was created inside someone else’s body.
• Your body is the vehicle of your life journey. It carries you wherever you want to go, and everywhere you will ever go.
• Your body is the key to your relationships. It communicates with every person you ever interact with.
• Your body holds, cuddles and caresses the people you love.
• Your body joins with another body to co-create life itself.
• Your body is your ally. It always tries its very best. No matter how badly you treat it, it will always try to recover.

2. When you have a negative thought about your body, replace it with a positive affirmation of gratitude for your body
3. Make daily choices that build and strengthen your overall health and wellbeing
4. If you’re ever at a loss, ask yourself: What would a person who loves their body say or do?

If you have any stories about your journey to loving your body or any helpful tips, please comment below. And please go ahead and share this article!