A powerful tool to develop a loving relationship with your body

A few days ago, I found a picture of my 28 year old self.   It’s been 25 years since the photo was taken and as I gazed upon the young woman in the picture I thought, “She’s lovely, so fresh, so young, and OMG look at her skin!”  As I breathed in my younger self, I realized that these weren’t the thoughts I had about myself back in the day.

Nope. Just the opposite.

 I recalled that I thought I was fat (weighing less than I do today), my hair too big and wild, I had too many acne scars, and I really wanted a pair of bodacious tatas.  I didn’t love my body; in fact, my favorite past time was dissecting everything that was wrong with it.

Sound familiar?

Do you spend time cataloging everything that isn’t perfect about your body?  Every wrinkle, extra freckle, your weird big toe, the way the razor doesn’t leave your underarm silky smooth?

Your body image is intertwined with your sense of worth.  A thread that’s unbreakable- it can either be a cage or wings.  The choice is yours.

Decades later I look at myself in a different light.  More of a soft candle glow than the harshness of fluorescent lighting.  I’m kinder with myself and more realistic, no longer holding myself up to an impossible standard that society crafted and not me.

Yes, I’ve aged, but I’ve grown wiser about who I am. 

I’m slowly embracing my body. Yep, now in my fifties I’ve recognized some truths.

It’s the only one I’ll ever have and no one else will ever live a day as me.  I can either choose to love my body or destroy it with ugly self-talk, neglect, or indifference. 

The clincher?

If I can’t model a positive body image- where’s the hope for my daughters, sisters, nieces, mother, and friends?

Deep breath in because this isn’t easy stuff.  For 25 years, I’ve thought only in terms of what’s lacking about me.  To shift to what’s abundant is like paddling up a river with a teaspoon.  It takes a monumental shift and the realization that I wasn’t really given a teaspoon, but what I have instead in my hand is the power cord to a motor.

My thoughts-your thoughts are the motor.  They steer us in the direction we want and can take us there as quickly as we want to go.  We’re in control of what we think, how often we have the thought, and if we want to change it.

It sounds hard, but there’s an easy way to do this and it doesn’t require any additional time from your day.

I’m calling it ‘Shower Talk’ and yes, I just made that up right now!

Every time you take a shower, you’re going to be present with your body.  If you’re like me you usually hop into the hot spray, mindlessly wash everything with your thoughts running willie nillie in all sorts of directions.  You shut down the spray, towel off, get dressed and resume your day.

Instead- as you soap up all your parts, you’re going to honor them, embrace them, and find every tiny spec of love and abundance you can related to your body.

It goes something like this:

Picture yourself in the steamy shower, your favorite soap or body wash in hand, breathing in the scent. As you wash each part think about how it makes your life better.

My arms are so amazing. I love when they wrap my child in a big hug.

I love my belly because it’s the place where my babies grew inside of me.

I am grateful for my legs that carry me on long walks with my dog.

My bum is the bomb.  It allows me to sit with my girls at the dinner table.

I love my hands helps me to connect through art.

My hair allows me to express who I am- a wise woman who helps others.

My eyes show me the beauty of my friend’s face.

You get the idea.  This takes NO MORE TIME out of your day but sets you up to shift your thoughts about your body. Plus, you’ll feel warm and fuzzy when you’re done. 

Changing how you talk to yourself, shifts how you perceive yourself.  This shift opens a crack for self love to flow in leading to some pretty radical changes in your life.  When you feel good about yourself, you become a bigger magnet to attract all the abundance you want in your life.

And to think all it takes is less than 10 minutes a day, a sponge, and your intentional thoughts.

I love this practice and I wish I could go back to the 28 year old Kirstin and share with her what I know now:  That she’s beautiful, strong, kind, smart and worth having all her dreams come true.  I may have more lines on my face, silver hair, a few more dimples in my bum, but I love every inch, because it’s all mine.