Can you look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I love you” and really mean it?
If you are like most women, this feels like a big fat lie.
I know.
It wasn’t too many years ago that I literally could not look myself in the eye and say anything positive. All I could see were my flaws. When I tried saying positive affirmations about myself or my body they would literally stick in my throat because they were such lies.
Wow I’ve come a long way.
Today I love my body—and myself!—and I love my life more than I thought possible.
Now I know that to truly open up my heart to others, I had to learn to love myself first.
Far from being the selfish act I thought it was, self-love gives you the energy and empowerment to be more self-less.
And it is the key for getting the body that you want. Changing your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs is like spiritual liposuction.
As the Law of Attraction says, “As within, so without.”
This is particularly true with your body.
It was only when I did the inner work of changing my thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about myself, what I was capable of, and what I deserved, that I found the solutions for me to not only lose the weight, but to easily keep it off now for several years.
While a powerful exercise is to look in the mirror and tell yourself, “I love you,” many women can’t do it long enough to see significant changes because it feels like such a fib.
So start small.
Stand in front of the mirror for 3 minutes and focus on at least three things you can appreciate about yourself.
Maybe you can focus on how much you appreciate:
- Your eyes and being able to see.
- Your smile that transforms your face.
- Your legs that carry you through your day.
Begin practicing appreciating these parts of you until you can look in the mirror and say:
- I love my eyes.
- I love my smile.
- I love my legs.
And then add three new things about yourself to appreciate, and work up to loving them. Keep going until you can honestly look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I love you.”
One of the things that shifted me from self-loathing to self-love is that I realized that it was not only OK to love myself, but was who I was meant to be. It was when I finally “got” that Source (God, the Universe, Higher Self—whatever works for you) not only loves me, but absolutely adores me and sees my body as perfect.
Who am I to contradict All-That-Is?
If I am loved, that must mean that I am loveable and worthy of self-love. It was time for me to appreciate who I am, and the unique gifts and perspective that I bring to this growing and expanding Universe.
Just as I am loved and adored by All-That-Is, you are loved and adored—exactly as you are. You are so worthy. You are beautiful. You add irreplaceable value to this world.
What are those things about yourself that you can agree with Source are worth appreciating? What can you do today to acknowledge and begin expressing love for those things about yourself? Look for those things. Acknowledge those things. Celebrate those things.
And then watch how you begin to see–and treat–yourself differently. Watch for how your body begins to change. Watch for the body you want.
Together we can do it!
I love this, Hanna!
I think the biggest change for me to start loving my body was having my youngest daughter. For a long time, I had incredibly negative thoughts about my body–my thighs were too big, my butt was too big, my lower half, in general, was too big. And then my youngest came along, and she looks and is built just like me. And you know what? She’s absolutely gorgeous. Bouncy blonde hair, big blue eyes, golden skin … and Rubenesque legs and bottom. In fact, her butt in panties has been likened to “two cats fighting in a bag” when she walks. She’s beautiful.
I fear for her, because someday, someone is going to tell her that she’s fat or too round or should “just do something about it” if she’s unhappy with her [insert body part]. She doesn’t need to: this is how she was created, and she is precious. The thought follows, then, that if she looks like me, is built this way, and is gorgeous, then I am built the way I am and am gorgeous. No questions.
It’s liberating, and I fully encourage women to find that sweet spot and start loving themselves! I can’t deny that I debate my food intake as it pertains to my weight on a daily basis, but I also make a valiant effort to stop that chatter and just enjoy what I’m eating for the taste, the texture, and how it nourishes my body.
Whew! Maybe I should have written this comment as a post on my own blog?
LOVE the example Lynn! It doesn’t matter how we come to loving ourselves, it just matters that we do. And the more you practice self-love, not only do you enjoy the food you are eating more, but you also naturally are attracted to healthier food. Because you love your body, you want to give it quality fuel. You want it to feel good. You care more about yourself, and it doesn’t feel like deprivation to choose an apple over a cookie. It just feels like what you want! Sending you and your beautiful daughter so much love and appreciation. May you both always know your beauty!