A few months ago, I made an Insta post about body neutrality and had my heart warmed with support. So many of you lovelies had experienced similar paths when working toward body positivity. It made me think about it even more and I wanted to bring it up here too.
When recovering from my eating disorder, I found a lot online about how the key is to learn to love your body. So it began – the quest to falling in love with my body. I figured if I told myself and others enough that I love my body it would become the truth. I had daily affirmations, I made posts on Instagram, I journaled about it. Of course there would be days that my mind would wander to insecurities that I’d pick at. Along with these “slip ups” into negativity came disappointment, negative self-talk about negative self-talk, and a downward spiral into feeling like garbage because I had “failed” at loving my body.
For me, wanting to love my body just became another way to encourage the hyper fixation I had on the way my body looks. Although it was in a more positive way, it was still an obsession with the way my physical body looks – I wanted so badly to love my chub, hip dips, and stretch marks. But this is not at all what I needed after struggling with an eating disorder and body dysmorphia.
Instead, I made a mindset shift from “love your body” to “this is my body”. This helped me get to a place where my focus was more on what amazing things my body allows me to do and really appreciate that. It took off so much pressure and did wonders for my mental health. It also allowed me to free up a bunch of brain space that had been taken up by body obsession. Opening it up for creativity, new skills, hobbies, and friendships.
Not to say that I don’t still struggle with my body image, because I do, but this is a little switch I made that made such a difference. It has made the bad days less harsh because I’m no longer beating myself up about my body and then beat myself up about beating myself up about my body.
So if you’re struggling to find your way to body positivity, maybe start with body neutrality. It can be a powerful stepping stone. Take the focus and pressure away. Let yourself just be. Be grateful for your body allowing you to walk, dance, draw, laugh, enjoy meals, work out, hug. Your body is doing some seriously incredible things all day everyday for you, lil sunflower.
more reading about body neutrality and acceptance
Please Stop Telling Me to Love My Body
Try Body Neutrality When Body Positivity Seems Impossible
Forcing Myself To Love My Body Didn’t Work. Here’s What I Did Instead
