Episode 18 - Body Stories
Episode 18 - Body Stories
I believe, one of the biggest reasons we become disconnected and don’t take better care of ourselves is because of our body stories.
Stories we tell ourselves such as:
I am too short. I am too tall. I am too fat. I am too thin. My face is too round. My ears are too big. My arms are too flabby. I am ugly.
We could probably all go on and on about what we believe is wrong with our bodies.
And then adding the phrase…..if only…. And then we follow that with what we wish was different about our appearance.
But the body stories we tell influence the kind of relationship we have with ourselves.
If you are like me, you probably began writing your body stories from an early age.
These stories are often accompanied with feelings of shame.
Believing that something is wrong with you because of your appearance.
Negative body stories limit our ability to progress, create positive change and connect with ourselves.
If you are wanting to reconnect and care for yourself, it is important to pay attention to the stories you are telling yourself and see them for what they are - JUST THOUGHTS.
For example, a common story people I hear tell themselves is that they are overweight.
Did you know this is just a thought?
Someone just made that up.
Now, I know there are going to be some people that will argue with me on this.
They may say that there are medical professionals and studies that prove that being overweight is a fact.
That people should weigh a certain amount based on their height.
But what I want to offer you is that the word “overweight” is just a thought that someone made up.
It is a loaded word at that and it often carries with it a lot of judgment and shame.
What if you just weigh what you weigh and it isn’t good or bad? It just is.
All human bodies are different and there are so many reasons that factor into the number on the scale.
Now, I know this one can take some work to get to but the truth is you get to believe whatever you want.
Did you know that? You get to choose what thoughts and beliefs you hold on to.
Letting go of the stories around being “overweight” can actually free you.
This is the same with food. There is no good or bad food. There is just food. It isn’t a moral issue.
One coach I know calls it good, better, or best food.
It is more about, what food do you want to fuel your body with in order to take care of it?
Many people believe that if they let up on themselves then they are just giving up and letting themselves off the hook.
If this is you, my question is how do you feel when you believe you are overweight?
Do you feel ashamed, embarrassed, depressed, discouraged, disgusted?
How do you take care of yourself when you are feeling any of these emotions?
Based on my experience, not very well.
This is because how you treat yourself is based on what you are thinking and feeling.
Everything you do or don’t do is fueled by how you want to feel or not feel.
But the truth is you can never, I mean never, shame yourself enough or hate yourself enough into doing better or to create lasting change.
The key word is “lasting” change. You may see short term success but it isn't lasting because sooner or later you get tired of whitenuckling it or lose the willpower to keep going.
And shame and hate are not motivators.
Instead they keep us stuck.
Resisting where you are and believing if it was different then you could be happy doesn’t take you where you ultimately want to be.
What if instead of judging and beating yourself up, you made peace with where you are right now?
Recognizing that this is where you are and this is what you created and that is okay.
What if the goal was to love yourself more instead of less and then allowing yourself to see what else is possible?
Each body is a miraculous gift given to each of us by our Creator to help us on our mortal journey of growing, learning and becoming.
How would you treat your body if you loved and appreciated it instead of hating it?
I wish my body was different too.
I get it.
But what if you could get to work on taking care of you without the shame?
There really is a difference in getting to work to create wanted change versus being hard on yourself from a place of shame and dissatisfaction.
Beating yourself up in hopes of finding value and self-worth never works.
My guess is if you have tried being hard yourself to create results it hasn’t worked.
If you are ready for some change, I invite you to begin by loving yourself right where you are and watch and see what is possible.
Thank you for listening. If you like what you hear, I would love it if you would share it with your friends and family and leave me a rating and review.
If you would like to learn more about what life coaching is, please schedule a FREE discovery call, with me, where we can work through something that is causing you a problem.
To schedule a free Discovery Call, join my Seasons of Joy Facebook Group, and register for my upcoming An Awakening Retreat go to Seasons Coaching.
Have a joyful week!
