We can all be mean to our bodies at times. Insulting, obsessing over faults, pushing them too far. People can even put their bodies in danger in order to try and look a different way. This includes not nourishing ourselves, over or under exercising, trying detox and diet products, or even injecting our bodies with unknown substances (FYI, lip fillers are not regulated).
Gratitude is one of the ways in which we can transform our relationships with ourselves. Here are my three points on rethinking gratitude for your body.
How does it work-
1. The little things are the big things
Often when I speak to clients about gratitude, they say things like “But of course I’m grateful for being able to breath”. But when I dig a little deeper and ask them how often they think about how thankful they are for it, or how often they notice their breath… the answer is not really that often. Usually we only notice our senses once we lose them. Have you ever had a badly blocked nose and then thought “Remember when I could breath through my nose? It was so great, and I took it for granted”.
2. Count your blessings
I used to hear the phrase “count your blessings” all the time but I never really thought about it’s meaning. Modern life moves fast, and people are always rushing or looking at screens. We rarely take time to think about our lives and consider what we are thankful for. Check in with yourself and count all your physical blessings. Breath, movement, senses, your health, etc.
3. Swap places
Imagine going to a job everyday where you are hard worked and have an extremely demanding client. 24/7 you show up and work your hardest and manage to keep everything running as smooth as possible. You never get a break and you never receive any thanks from your client. When you do get feedback, it’s to tell you that your client is unhappy with how your work looks even though your job is based on function rather than aesthetics.
Many people are the client in this situation. They ignore all the vital work that their body does and just give it crap for looking the “wrong way”. Imagine how that would feel. Turn the tables around and show your body come gratitude and appreciation.