Body Talk.

Anyone else feeling a bit embarrassed about their body these days? Whether it be a lifetime of battling negative thoughts, or new thoughts brought on by stress and COVID-19, we are constantly being bombarded with body image and weight messaging.

You can go on social media, the news, talk to your friend….and you will see and hear wording like:

“COVID weight gain.”

“pre and post covid body”

“summer body”

“I’m so fat.”

“My jeans don’t fit”

I recently saw a headline that said: “The COVID 15” referencing the average weight people have gained under lockdown.

While there is a collective joking about the weight gain, the joking serves to mask our discomfort. Because let’s be honest, as a society, we are not okay with weight gain. How we view ourselves can GREATLY impact our mental health.

It can cause:

1. Shame

2. Avoidance of friends and social situations.

3. Eating disorders.

4. Comparisons and obsessive behaviors.

5. Negative self-talk

6. Depression

7. Anxiety.

So what do we do? It is an(my) opinion, that we have to start with reframing our ideas about our body and its purpose. When we start to challenge our own thoughts and ideas about our bodies, then we can begin to call out the negative talk, give grace to our shame and embarrassment, and honor the body we have. There is a FABULOUS group on Instagram called “Beauty Redefined” and they have a pointed quote that reads:

Loving your body isn’t believing that your body LOOKS GOOD, its believing that your body IS GOOD, regardless of how it looks. It is understanding that your body is an INSTRUMENT for your use, not an ORNAMENT to be admired.

- Beauty Redefined

So maybe today, we can start by just acknowledging all the things our bodies can do. The ways our bodies serve us. That will be different for every person, as we all have different abilities and limitations. But our bodies woke up today. Your eyes are reading this page. Your fingers are clicking on a mouse or scrolling through a phone. Our bodies are good.

Our bodies are our tools and instruments.

Our bodies are much more than a “before and after” photo.