I’m almost certain we’ve all been down THAT road. That feeling you get after you eat a giant slice of chocolate cake, the time you look in the mirror and pick yourself apart, or when you just have so much to do you neglect your own needs. In this day in age, we often overlook the amazing capabilities of our bodies. We push them to their breaking points and still ask for more. In order to reverse this mindset, do yourself and your body a favor and try to make peace with your body. Here’s how:
1) Stop comparing
It’s easy to look at a person and think, “wow how do they look like that, why can’t I look like that?” It’s an endless cycle of comparing yourself to someone else and then you feel bad about yourself. Or you compare yourself and your body to the person you were two years ago. However, you aren’t that same person. You have grown in ways that are not measurable. You have experienced more stress, downfalls, epiphanies, and celebrations than the person you were two years ago. And when you compare yourself to a different person, you don’t acknowledge all that you have been through and how powerful you have become. Focus on you.
2) Do what you WANT to do
Almost every waking hour of your life is spent on studying, playing for a sports team, helping a friend, or doing a monotonous group project for a class. When was the last time you did something that actually wanted to do? Go for a walk, paint your nails, bake a cake, or color outside. When you do what you want to do, your body thanks you and feel more in-tune with yourself.
3) Workout because you love your body, not hate it
It’s not a good sign when you go to the gym because you just have to. You should go to the gym because you want to and because you love your body. In order to make going to the gym feel like “you time,” write down how you feel after a killer workout. Then, before you head off to the gym to burn off the cake, read what you wrote and it will change your mindset. Go to the gym because you love your body and you want to make it healthier.