How To Love Your Body

I’m circling back on a subject I talked about the other week—your body.

As so many of you are struggling with the changes your body may have gone through during this pandemic, I shared a powerful mantra that I want to reshare: I forgive myself for buying into the illusion that something is wrong with me.

So many folks replied saying how badly they needed permission to forgive themselves and accept where they are.

In addition to forgiveness, I wanted to share a few more things you can do to start to cultivate some love and compassion for your body.

1. Let go of the story that you need to look a certain way in order to be happy.

First ask yourself, “WHY do I want to look different than what I actually look like?”

I often wonder why women of all ages and types consistently use Face Filters on Instagram. Sure, they are fun to play with and sometimes you just can’t be bothered to do yourself up, but when one ONLY uses them as opposed to showing their real face, it makes me wonder if they think their actual face is not acceptable enough?

When I fall into this thinking, I do a little digging. I usually discover that I am buying into the illusion that if I looked a certain way, I would be better liked, loved, and accepted. And if I was better liked, loved, and accepted, I wouldn’t feel sad, lonely, or insecure. (Or any other uncomfortable feelings.)

But, as we know, this is not true! People with the most beautiful, seemingly perfect faces and bodies feel sad, insecure, and lonely at times. They lose out on opportunities, they get disappointed, and they fail. Just like everyone else.

Human life involves triumphs, beauty, and suffering. Everyone experiences it.

The more we can truly understand this, the less attached we will be to conventional standards that make us believe we have to look a certain way to be happy.

Let.that.story.go!!

2. Stop judging other people’s bodies.

When you judge someone else’s body as good, bad, or otherwise, you are reinforcing the message to yourself (and them), that one’s value is based on how one looks. Start breaking down the story that I talked about from above when you look at others.

Ask yourself, “Huh, why do I think that person is beautiful? Why do I think that person is not? Can I start to look deeper at an individual than just what I see on the outside?”

Quiet your mind when you are judging someone silently, as it only reinforces negative feelings within you. And shut your mouth before saying anything to anyone else. 🙂

3. Stop following people who trigger you. Like seriously, unfollow. Right now.

I used to follow this wellness influencer. She was a gorgeous, fit model who used all the natural wellness products one could ever think of. I noticed that every single time I would see her posts or stories, I would feel badly. I would wonder, “Do I need that vitamin? If I did that exercise, would I look like that?”

What a bunch of stupid hogwash. Who cares what she’s doing!! Is she taking care of my child? Is she doing my laundry? Is she living my life? Oh, no. She’s not. But I am.

And guess what, who cares if it triggers you! Should you work on it? Sure. Do steps 1 and 2 above. And then, unfollow! You don’t need that disrupting your day. This is just self abuse.

You get to choose what influences your thoughts, your mind, and your body. And trust me when I say, casually scrolling through Instagram has a bigger impact on your mental state than you realize. So choose carefully!

4. Do something that makes your body feel good every day.

Working out makes my body feel the best. But truth be told, I don’t get a workout in every single day in this season of my life. I try, but some days it just doesn’t happen. That doesn’t mean I can’t do something to feel good in my body every day.

Whether it’s taking extra time to put on body lotion, putting on a cute outfit, doing a meditation, taking a Soul Stroll or spending a little extra time doing your make-up (because it is fun and creative, not because you want to please someone else), there are so many ways we can take just a few minutes to feel good in our bodies every day.

5. Give your body something new to do. (Hint: Join The Movement!)

When we do the same old things, we not only get in a physical rut, but a mental rut, too! When we give ourselves new physical challenges, it requires our brains to think in new ways as well.

What’s wonderful about The Movement is that there are over 100 different KINDS of workouts. Everything from dance, to yoga, to barre, to HIIT. I am constantly giving members new ways to challenge their brain and their bodies.

What kind of new and totally different thing can you do for your body? (Pssst, doing something new might feel hard simply because it’s new. So be prepared to be challenged in some way and remember, the purpose is to cultivate love for your body, not stress!)

Raising the level of love and compassion for our bodies is a practice, largely in part because it is not a habit we were taught to develop when we were young.

But now is the time!! Why?! Because I know you don’t want to waste a single morsel of your precious energy beating yourself up for not being a certain way. This is a beautiful time to embrace all you are and all you will become.

_______________ What’s New _______________

Lower your levels of stress and anxiety about your body with a relaxing body love meditation, where you will tend and befriend your body through your senses. It’s waiting for you inside The Movement!

You can access all meditations, my signature Soul Strolls, 100+ workouts, coaching, and much more—with the 7-day free trial. Sign up now!

Love,
Erin

P.S. Did you know that you can download content inside The Movement app for viewing/listening offline? Simply click the download button below any video or audio and access your downloads inside your library. This feature is perfect when traveling out of cell service and you don’t want to miss out on your favorite workouts! (You can even try it out in the free trial. 🙂