Finding Gratitude Towards Your Body

​When you find yourself struggling with hatred or dislike toward your body, it can seem like the most non-intuitive and least desirable thing to find gratefulness for it. You may be used to the rhetoric that you tell yourself; “I’m fat,” “my thighs jiggle” “my stomach is protruding” and “nothing looks good on my body.” It can become alluring and extremely difficult to leave this narrative behind and instead to find yourself being grateful to your body. It starts to be an un-ending list of what’s wrong with our bodies and what we want them to be like!

​Let’s face it, our bodies are serious troopers! We deprive it of sleep, we under-eat, we eat to the point of discomfort, we demand it to keep running until feeling dizzy and yet it still keeps going. Unfortunately, all too often, we are not very kind to our bodies. We use it and abuse it like it’s the victim of an abusive relationship, and we’re the perpetrators. Let me ask you one crucial question, what did your body ever do to you?
 
Some of your answers may look like “well it’s fat” or “it doesn’t look the way I want it to.” Remember that abusive relationship metaphor? Imagine a relationship between two people in which the abused party constantly tries his/her best to support the other person, constantly doing whatever he/she can to give that person the best life. The abuser then turns around and abuses that person by inflicting physical or mental harm. Now let’s bring it back to our bodies; our bodies work for us and what do we give it in return? Do we ever acknowledge all of the wonderful things it enables us to do? If not, let’s start right now.
 
It’s time that your body gets the appreciation it deserves. How did you get to work or school this morning? Did you walk, ride a bike or drive? If so, you can thank your body for enabling you to use your legs and arms. What are your favorite hobbies? Scrapbooking? Surfing? Playing an instrument? What part does your body play in enabling you to do those things? If you didn’t have those body parts or the function of those parts, think about how that very precious thing could be stripped from you. Do you like to dance, run around with kids, or sing your heart out? Thank your legs for their movement, your ears to listen, your heart for keeping you going and your lungs for keeping up with you! Are you seeing a pattern yet?

​Our bodies are amazing, they don’t always get treated the way they should, but they will power through for us. I challenge you to keep a grateful journal, a different kind of grateful journal, one that is solely for listing ways you are grateful for your body. Challenge yourself to find 3 new things each day. Get creative, there are a million ways you can be grateful for your body, you just need to open your eyes to it. Hey, that’s one thing you could be grateful for, the simple act of being able to open your eyes to see beautiful landscapes and works of art! May not be as hard as you think, huh? 

I hope you found this post helpful! Please share with anyone who may be struggling with their readiness to begin their treatment journey. If you have any questions, concerns or requests for future posts, feel free to leave a comment or message me privately.

I wish you body gratitude on the way to finding your State of Balance!

You can also check out my YouTube channel for more inspiration!

You may also find these posts helpful:
Comparisons - Yes, that Evil Thing
The Diet Scam
Turn the Record Over (self-talk)