Did You Know This About Your Body?

As women, we spend an (exhausting) number of years fighting our physical body. I actually remember telling my mother at the age of 7 that I wanted to go on a diet (another story for a different day). Not only do we see our body as something separate, but an aspect of ourselves to pick apart, criticize, and correct. 

As a health coach, I hear it all of the time. It can be even more pronounced in a struggle with certain health issues, digestive distress, and physical injuries. The body becomes the source of suffering. But I am here to help you shed this story (despite what you might be going through physically). Please know that it isn't supposed to be that way.

In reality, you and your body are on the same team with similar goals and values (and yes, your "self" and your physical body are two different entities). Your brain and body work together to keep you alive - so survival is the number one agenda - but given we are no longer faced with situations on a weekly basis from which we have to literally survive (although it can feel this way), I believe we are presented with the opportunity to alsothrive.

There are these amazing mechanisms in place which allow your body to communicate with you on a daily basis. Cravings, skin, sleep, mood, and digestion are all examples. If something is off, sometimes it is more of a whisper, but if it isn't being heard, sometimes it has to scream. When we answer with self-deprecation rather than self-love, we just keep our body in a stressed out state (and that isn't doing you any favors). 

Whatever it is, the goal stays the same. In its attempt to work with you, it has to make its needs known loud and clear. Just like you, it wants to get back into balance, it wants to survive, and ultimately, it wants to thrive. 

So if you are someone who feels as if your body is out to get you, I urge you to make a shift. This might take some practice, as you have had however many years beating yourself up; change might not happen overnight. Start with self-compassion; learn to see your body as a friend, not foe. Take a step back from the negative self-talk, tune in, listen. Answer its calls in a kinder way. See what happens. If you are left wondering how to do that, please contact me, I would love to help.