Body Image. There’s a reason that this topic gains front and center discussion on a daily basis. We each live in our bodies every day. This close relationship means that our physical reality absolutely influences our emotional and mental realities.
And with that, we each have different problems. I like to joke that I eat my feelings. But it’s not really a joke because it’s very much true. I also have a false mental picture of myself in my head. I’m forever reaching for XL clothing when I should be reaching for M.
It’s a tricky, tricky thing. And it’s a place where I have to navigate life with so much patience and grace toward myself.
Is anyone else here totally addicted to personality quizzes? Myers-Briggs? Zodiac signs? Yeah, okay, this does fit the topic at hand. Stay with me. I’m an INFJ, which means that basically I spend every minute of every day trying to be a better version of myself. I can’t help it. I just can’t.
It drives people crazy. Like Barbara, will you just chill? No, I can’t. And here’s the thing. I genuinely enjoy the process of discovering my weaknesses and creating a plan to improve.
So back to body image. I’ve always liked me. But I haven’t always liked my body, but I see curvier pictures of myself and I see a happy girl. Goodness, yes. Because sometimes it’s really not about the body. But it is always about the person in the body.
With my strong INFJ tendencies, and despite liking me, I knew I didn’t view my body kindly. But how does anyone begin to shift a mindset? A set of values? A perception of what someone should look like?
That’s why I love that culture is pointing to the idea of encouraging people to be happy in their body. It’s not about being “politically correct.” It’s about celebrating the person for who they are and how they choose to interact with the world. Whatever the size. When we’re confident in who we are, we live radically–loving ourselves and each other.
I love the #transformationtuesday trend. What I love more is the honesty of those posts. Many are about being healthy, and in some, you can see no visual difference between the two photos, but the story is in the caption. My absolute favorite is the mindset shift that many of these transformation posts share.
For me, my true transformation is in how I think about my body. Instead of internally grappling with the flaws I see in my body, I applaud my legs for carrying me through another day, my biceps for hauling the groceries up three sets of stairs, and my lungs for sustaining me through a butt-kicking workout. It’s no longer about how my body looks. It’s about what my body can do.
I love that.
I seriously love that mindset shift.
I love that when I look into the mirror, I see beyond the stretch marks and thunder thighs to a freaking strong body that will accompany me on many more adventures, whether that’s circus, traveling, or writing another book. And the craziest thing is that body image doesn’t start with the body, it starts in the mind. It starts with you marveling at what your body can do.
The body image conversation shouldn’t stop. We’ve got more to learn and more to improve on. But, with each conversation, I think we’ll gain another piece of the puzzle.
