The #1 Practice to Help Accept Your Body
Our bodies are with us our entire lives. When we are at war with it, it adds an unnecessary layer of burden and stress.
And one of the best ways I know to help alleviate that burden, is a daily meditation practice.
Wait! Before you say "really? Meditation is your answer?" hear me out.
I’d like to make a case for why I think it’s worth making time for daily meditation.
Reason #1: Emotional Regulation
Think about the times you’ve gone down a body shame spiral. Was it when you were in a happy state of mind? Or was it when you were triggered, stressed, or sad about something? 100% of the times I have been down about my body was when I was in an emotionally dysregulated state. And meditation can help us emotionally regulate.
Reason #2: Time to Rest
Being tired is also a key factor in emotional dysregulation. You know the difference in how you feel when you sleep well vs. when you don’t. But we don’t prioritize giving ourselves a true rest during the day. Sure, most of us can’t nap during the day like toddlers do, but taking 5-10 minutes to meditate at some point in the day makes a difference in helping us reset and recharge.
Reason #3: Distance from Your Thoughts
The deal is this: when we believe thoughts about how our bodies “should” look, when we have rules and ideas about food and exercise that in any way cause us to feel guilt or shame, we suffer. And so the single most important thing you can do is become aware of how believing your thoughts is wreaking havoc on how you feel about your body. Meditation is literally the act of building the awareness to see this, and subsequently get caught up less frequently in these thoughts.
Reason #4: Emotional Processing
When we are go go go and always in our heads, we may not even be aware of how much we are actually feeling. The truth is we may not want to feel what we’re feeling. But our feelings are there whether we want to feel them or not, and just because we avoid them, doesn’t mean they go anywhere. The quickest way to release our emotions is to allow them to move through us, and meditation can help with that. And when we do that, we set ourselves up to feel better about our bodies.
Reason #5: Connection with Your True Self
This is the more “esoteric” reason why some people meditate - is to create a space where it’s more conducive to connect with your true self. What do I mean by “true self?” I mean the state of our being that isn’t our thoughts. Think of it like this: we are the sky, and our thinking is the weather. We don’t realize we are the sky when all we notice is the weather. So meditation helps anchor us into the sky, so we can notice the weather and allow it to pass through us. And all those negative body thoughts? They are the weather.
So now I’m guessing you might be thinking “yeah that all sounds good but…I don’t have the time etc.”
Which is why I’ve listed 4 common objections to re-consider:
Objection #1: “I Don’t Have Time”
It’s 5-10 minutes. That’s not really the reason you can’t do it, is it? Be honest - it’s likely because it may be uncomfortable. Either the discomfort from thinking you don’t “know how” to do it, or the discomfort of sitting with the thoughts and emotions that are floating around within. But the KEY to making real, lasting change with accepting your body, is that you have to be aware of what is present and then feel the emotions. Thoughts and emotions are safe, they can’t hurt you. Really. Test it.
Objection #2: “I Can’t Quiet my Mind”
Good news - you can’t quiet your mind if you tried! We literally have no control over whether a thought pops into our heads. They just do. Meditation is simply noticing that a thought did (I’ll explain later why this is important). There is no “good” or “bad”, or “right” or “wrong” meditation. The act of sitting and following your breath, or reciting a mantra, or following a guided meditation is all that’s required. Let go of the idea that there is a being “good” at it - there’s not.
Objection #3: “I Don’t Have the Right Space”
Do you have a bedroom? A car? A couch? Then you have space. There is no “special” space you need. Just 5-10 minutes where you can sit upright and ask everyone around you to leave you alone for that time!
Objection #4: “It’s Boring”
The mind likes being active and in control. It also doesn’t want you to notice that actually, you are in control (not it). So the mind will come up with all kinds of thoughts like “this is boring”, or “I have more important things to do”. Anything to keep you from catching on to the fact that it’s not in charge. Meditation helps you take back control from your thinking.
It’s so common to believe that your body needs to change in order to feel comfortable and at peace in it. But really, it’s knowing how to work with your thoughts and emotions, and meditation creates a foundation to do that.
Start your own meditation practice by joining free weekly meditation group. Attend live meditations or join and get the recordings to listen on your own time.