As an act of kindness to your body, write below one thing you appreciate about each part you usually criticize. (If you feel inclined, you can take it one step further and say these things to your body while looking in a mirror.)
You might not love your legs, but they get you from point A to B; you might wish you had thinner arms, but they allow you to hug the people you love and hold your baby.
Do you feel better able to treat your body with kindness after doing this?
I love my shoulders and neck – their ability to handle pain but still function is impressive and admirable.
I love my legs that work so hard to support me, even when they feel like death.
I love my arms and the freckles they display.
I love my swollen and painful hands because they allow me to cook, write, design, snuggle, and interact with the world around me.
I love my big butt because it’s cute.
It wasn’t super easy to start this but, once I did, I started to think about more and more things than I had anticipated. I’ve never really hated my arms, but never really embraced them either.
The irony!
Have you done this exercise? What did you discover about yourself?
YAAAAS! Such a good topic and gosh I love everything you write. Chronic sex is also amazing. THANK YOU. I have been trying to think of what I love about myself a lot lately, sometimes I do a great job and sometimes I get stuck on everything I hate about my body. Its such an important practice though, its so easy to get caught in the waves of self hatred instead of basking on the beach in the glow of who and what we are.
http://www.shipwithnosails.com
/swoon/ I so appreciate you! It's really difficult to focus on the happy or even the neutral when we're just living our lives, let alone dealing with illness. Hugs!