This morning I practised mindfulness and self-love, something I should do more often.
Instead of looking in the mirror and telling myself I need to workout more (which, honestly, is what I do nearly every single day), I stood there and gave myself a good long look over, telling myself positive things about my body in my head. Then I said them all again out loud and smiled at myself. Naturally, negative thoughts came but I gently pushed them away as I focused on loving myself for who I am.
I’ve read about self-love, particularly that technique, in magazines on numerous occasions but I never thought it was something that could work for me. I was apprehensive to try it, assuming my desire for the ‘perfect body’ would overcome my vision of the strong reflection that stood before me.
My body which, despite its lack of a second, functioning kidney, keeps me healthy and alive. My stomach, which may never be model material, holds a core strength that I have challenged and improved over the last few years.
I’m so glad I tried it because it set me up for a great day. My positive energy levels were through the roof, something which I haven’t been feeling a lot recently. I also felt I needed to write about it, not only to recommend it to anyone who may have been thinking about it, but because I think it’s important to talk about it. There’s a lot of pressure not only to have a strong, healthy body but to love it too. You don’t need to love your body every day, just always be kind to it. A little compliment goes a long way and a compliment from yourself is worth more than any compliment from anyone else.
Do you practise self-love? Are you struggling with body image? More information can be found at the following links:
https://eating-disorders.org.uk/information/body-image/
ITV have very conveniently grouped a bunch of resources for support on their website: https://www.itv.com/thismorning/self-esteem-self-image-helplines
Similarly, the Be Real Campaign has grouped together lots of links for professional support and advice: https://www.berealcampaign.co.uk/resources/support-advice
