We are in the midst of Body Acceptance Week which promotes body acceptance - including body positivity, body neutrality and body liberation - for all. And we are here for it! In order to promote these things, we feel it is important to acknowledge that all humans have days where they don't feel 100% confident in their body. No matter your age, size, sex, skin color or gender; no one is immune to body image challenges. That's why we are sharing five tips for navigating a body image-challenged day.
Wear comfortable clothes. You know that outfit that you always reach for straight out of the laundry? The clothes you can put on and forget about? Clothes that don't need to be adjusted 10 thousand times a day. Yeah, those ones. Comfort can feel different for every body. If you can't think of an outfit then consider shopping on a day when your body image is neutral or positive with the intention to find an outfit that checks all the boxes on how you would define comfort.
Move [if you want to]. When your body image is feeling challenged, this is where joyful movement really shines! Think about what is going to help you navigate these challenges. It may be spending time outdoors or with family or friends. It may be an opportunity for you to feel practice mindfulness, being present or meditating. It may mean giving yourself rest and committing to prioritizing recovery for the day.
Avoid body checking. Make a commitment to reducing or avoiding body checking. Acknowledge that it is not going to positively impact the way that you feel in your body.
Write it down. Take 5 minutes to write down your thoughts. Grab a pen & paper and set a timer for 5 minutes. Write thought that comes into your head on the paper. Don't worry about spelling, punctuation or capitalization. This style of writing is called a stream of consciousness, don't worry you're not going to publish it. Write continuously until the timer goes off and set your pen down.
Practice kindness. How can you be more gentle with yourself? Are there tasks or to dos that can be put off to another day? What if you gave yourself permission to do the bare minimum? Just for today. Yeah, doesn't that sound nice? Go ahead. We are cheering you on.
We hope you'll join us in taking the body affirmation pledge. Together we can learn to accept our body for what it is, treat our body with respect & kindness and not allow our mind to bully our body.
Photographs by Lahti Photography
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