Having a positive relationship with your body can feel challenging. Between messages from the media and society, well-meaning family members and friends, and the unkind lens that we can sometimes defer to when looking at ourselves; it can be extremely difficult to navigate a healthy relationship with our bodies.
Let’s be honest, so many of us are programmed to believe that our bodies are simply not good enough or that we are supposed to push ourselves beyond what is healthy in order to be “successful,” “a boss,” “powerful.” In other words, to be in our minds about our bodies. The current challenge is to resolve this aspect of our relationship so that we can pass along a healthier perspective.
Our children are watching how this programming is playing out. They watch our complicated relationships with our bodies, and internalize those messages, questioning if their bodies are ‘good enough’ while judging and rejecting what is truly normal in order for our bodies to function – like sleep, rest, movement, hydration, air, a healthy diet.
The way we feel about our bodies matters. And it’s up to us to cultivate a healthy relationship with our bodies, with food, and with movement.
How to Build a Healthy Relationship with Your Body
Here are some ways you can show compassion and nurture your body:
Find Movement That Resonates
Move your body in ways that feel good to you without judgment. Whether you prefer yoga, walking, stretching, or more rigorous workouts, be sure to move your body when you can.
It is a wonderful expression of self-love to move without judgment, purely for the sake of taking care of your body.
Speak Kind To & About Yourself
Speak to yourself, about yourself, the way you would want a loving friend to. Practice compassion and compliments. Smile into your own eyes in the mirror. Spend a day commending yourself for each positive act – large and small.
Mindfully Consume Food & Drink
Eat nutrient rich foods and hydrate as often as you can. Listen to your body before and after you eat. Learn how your body is responding to the choices you are making and, if you hear it, make adjustments where necessary.
Invest in Quality Sleep
The key to a great morning is everything that you do the night before. Give your body what you need without judgment. It knows.
Practice Awareness
Sit down in a comfortable location in your home and enjoy an exploratory meditation where you feel into and ask each part of your body how it is doing.
For example, “I feel my left foot. How are you doing?” Or, alternatively, “What do you want me to hear from you?”
This can be a helpful exercise for those who feel disconnected from their bodies. Don’t forget to engage all parts of the beautiful that you are, your internal organs, your unconscious mind, your Higher Self, and chakra energy system included.
Developing practices that allow you to be more compassionate and attuned to your body helps to disrupt negative behaviors, thought patterns and habits. Be sure to practice compassion, forgiveness, and patience with yourself daily.
About the founder: Lisane Basquiat is not only an entrepreneur but a community leader who leads with compassion and purpose.
Most recently, she led important conversation on social justice, mental and emotional health during crisis, and empowered action to repairing generational traumas through her platform and virtual programs via Shaping Freedom®
