Hello!
Today I want to talk to you about a few simple tools you can use that will help you to love your body, just as it is right now. I believe that your body is already perfect. I believe that if it is acting unwell in some way, or if you are currently dissatisfied with how it behaves or looks, then it is time for you to learn how to tune into what it is your body is trying to tell you.
Your body is designed to survive. It is there to help you live this life and have the experiences you want to have. It is not designed to hinder you. Learning to communicate with your body means that you will be on the road to living the life designed for you, because it is your body that can give you clues as to whether you are on the 'right' path - so to speak.
Now, in my coaching I have noticed that there is a huge epidemic of people who are struggling with being out of tune and out of touch with their bodies. What I mean by this is that I notice that it is very common for people to have no idea what their bodies are asking them for in terms of food, exercise, rest, play and don’t know how to tune into the storehouse of knowledge that their body contains. This is as common in people who have had eating disorders as it is with those who have not. Most of us grow up never being taught how to listen to our bodies.
Here are some common symptoms of body disconnection I have witnessed both in myself, and in those with whom I have worked:
- The feeling that your body constantly “craves” foods that are seemingly unhealthy.
- Feeling that your that your body is working against you, either in that it is not the size or shape you want it to be, or that it cannot perform the tasks you would like it to.
- Having trouble regulating your eating or sleeping cycles.
- Not having the ability to tap into your body awareness to let you know if a situation is right for you or not.
- Having difficulty finding a lifestyle that works for you, and are constantly jumping from one diet to another.
These are all basically signs that you have fallen out of trust and out of sync with your body. When you are in sync with your body finding a diet and lifestyle that really works for you, and ability to love and respect your body will all become much easier. So if you are feeling that you have lost touch with your body, I have 5 tools for you to start using today to help bring you back in touch with your most precious gift here on earth.
5 Tools To Help You Re-Connect with and Increase Your Love For Your Body
1. Rest When You Are Tired:
This is my number one tool for re-establishing a loving connection with your body because rest is often not as emotionally charged as changing your eating habits, but is still vital to your health and wellbeing. It is also a way to demonstrate to yourself that you honor your need for nourishment. Rest can be incredibly nourishing and by taking the time to rest when you need rest you are communicating to yourself and to your body that you value you.
If you are used to pushing yourself to within and inch of your breaking point, or past your breaking point before you rest, this tip is for you. This does not mean that you have to take a 3 hour nap every time you are sleepy. A quick fifteen minute break where you close your eyes, do something you enjoy doing that does not require a tone of focus like reading a light book, or just sitting and breathing at your desk all count and will all start to bridge the gap between you and your body.
If you feel guilt when you rest or think about resting, if you feel resistance or if you start to think of all the things you 'should' be doing rather then resting, I want you to allow these thoughts to come up, thank them for being there, and then ask them to pass on through. Resting may seem really uncomfortable at first, but as you practice it will start to feel better and better.
2. Notice How You Feel Before, During, and After a Meal:
It can be so helpful to cultivate awareness around your eating, without the intention of changing anything about the way that you are eating. Simply taking a moment or two to notice how you are feeling before you eat, noticing how you are feeling during your meal, and then again taking pause after your meal to take note of how you are feeling will begin to set a pattern where you actively check in with your body 2-3 times a day. (or more if you are a snacker 🙂
This regular checking in will start to build that bond and that recognition of signals from your body to your mind and spirit and because eating is something you do several times a day it will be easy to set this new pattern. You may also notice that you start to crave different foods as you progress with this practice, or notice that there are correlations to how you are feeling before you eat and what you choose to eat, or how that food digests.
3. Journal For 5 Minutes Every Day:
Journalling is seriously one of the best tools you have when it comes to connecting with yourself. I recommend that you sit with a pen or pencil and paper at night before you go to bed, and write without lifting your writing tool off of the paper for 5 minutes straight. This is called 'stream of consciousness' writing, and it is very helpful in cases where you are feeling disconnected from yourself. In this practice, if you do it repeatedly you may find that you uncover unconscious thought patterns that are keeping you from being able to trust your body. By bringing them to light in this way you will be better able to move past and heal those thoughts.
4. Connect Patterns In Life With Eating Patters:
This tip is a little more on the advanced side, but it can be very useful if you are ready to do some deeper work. The way I recommend you set this up is in a journal create 3 Columbus like this:
Situation: How I felt After The Situation: My Food Cravings After:
In the Situation column list anything that was emotionally charged for you that day. This could be a stressful meeting with your boss, an exam at school, or a fight with your boyfriend. You may also want to note situations that were more positive like getting a promotion or acing an exam.
In the How I Felt After The Situation column record how the emotionally charged situation made you feel, for instance maybe the meeting with your boss made you feel scared and insecure, perhaps your test made you feel inadequate, and maybe the promotion made you feel elated and proud of yourself.
Finally, list any food cravings or food related associations that came about after your event in the My Food Cravings After column. Perhaps you will notice that you always want some chocolate after situations that make you feel small and powerless, or that you always crave wine when you accomplish something. You may also note that certain situations and emotional states make you feel like avoiding food, and that should also be noted. Again this is not necessarily about changing anything, just about cultivating awareness and connection.
5. Ditch Killer Workouts and Go For Fun:
This is my last and favourite tip in the area of becoming more connected with your body, because it is the one that really turned things around for me. The right kind of workout can help boost your mood, help you to think through things that may be going on in your life, and can help you to discover the joy of your body through movement.
The wrong kind of workout can make you feel depressed, tired and out of connection. I used to push myself through rigorous workouts every day because I thought that is what I needed to do if I wanted to be lean, toned and healthy. But the truth was that I hated these workouts, they stressed me out, stressed my body out, did not deliver to me the body that I wanted and ultimately left me feeling more disconnected from my body than connected to it. When I finally started to honor the fact that I wanted to do more gentle workouts like yoga, dance and pilates I was able to find joy in movement again, and I was able to develop a deeper trust that my body knew what it wanted, and if I was to listen I felt a lot better. And as a bonus I actually began to see favorable changes in the way my body looked and felt. I am not saying you should give up marathon training or serious weight workouts at the gym if you love doing those things, the key is to do what you love, and only what you love.
If you would like more help in this area, I have written a book that contains all the tools I used to reclaim my connection and love with my body called The Perception Diet here
What do you do to connect with your body? How do you like to 'tune in?'
<3
