I Choose To Shower My Body With Positive Messages

I choose to shower my body with positive messages.

We live in a culture that normalizes women criticizing and bashing our physical bodies.  It is not an unusual occurrence to hear women vocalizing to one another what they dislike or want to change about their bodies as it has sadly become a culturally acceptable way for women to relate to each other.  This habit we have fallen into as a society is unhealthy and limiting for all of us.  

For those of us trying to recover from an eating disorder, hearing this sort of negative body talk is a powerful trigger as this language affirms the eating disorders we are trying to let go of.  When we hear others engaging in negative body talk, our eating disorders take the opportunity to tell us it's normal to dislike our bodies and that holding onto our eating disorder is the only way to get as close as we can to our culture's ideal of thinness.  Hearing others engaging in negative body talk makes us feel that we live in a culture that doesn't support eating disorder recovery since it praises and lauds the body types we are trying to attain through unhealthy and disordered eating and exercise.  But this is the perfect opportunity to not only challenge our own eating disorders, but to actively take part in changing the pattern of negative body talk among women.

And this is why this affirmation is so powerful.  These words challenge us to make the conscious choice to say nice things to our bodies.  Our bodies are amazing, beautiful and wise, and when we take the time to love and praise them for all that they are and all that they do, we reclaim our power from our eating disorders and from our society's oppressive ideals of female beauty.  In addition, what a relief to say kind things to ourselves, thereby aligning our bodies, souls and minds instead of instigating wars within ourselves between our minds and bodies.  Being kind to our bodies only enhances the chance for us to accept and love our whole selves, thus allowing us to move closer and closer to each of our full potentials.

I believe this to be a powerful message to all women, not just those of us with eating disorders.  We are all unique, beautiful beings - let us waste no more time tearing ourselves down, but instead let us build ourselves up and start making it normal for women to say nice things about themselves.  Let us all do this so we may connect to ourselves and each other in powerful and loving ways!

Sending all of you love and kindness for your beautiful selves!

Taylor