Think of everything you've already been through in this life. The ups and downs. The movement and the stillness. Injury and recovery. The places you've been and seen. Your body has held you through it all to this point. Be soft with her. She deserves your care. And right now, she deserves nothing but your appreciation.
Self-esteem and physical appearance are such vulnerable areas. There is something about how we catch our reflection in the mirror: "It doesn't look like me," we say, "Something is off." If only we could see ourselves how other people see us.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a psychological phenomenon in which people (mainly female) developed a distorted image of themselves. This, in Hollywood, is significantly worsened by all the impossible-to-emulate media images of so-called ideal body shapes and weights. We get stuck in our heads - and harmful thoughts can fatten us up faster than fatty foods.
As our mind projects negative self-images, the brain materializes an entire solid mass of weight around our body. Couple this with self-doubt, even self-loathing, and an overload of every day thoughts, and you will find your body ballooning.
A beautiful, talented, and well-known actress needed to lose a specific amount of weight for a role that would require her to do a nude scene. She wore a bra around the clock to keep her breasts from sagging. She would stand and look at herself naked, and want to throw up. She felt worn and like she was beginning to show her age.
She tried many personal trainers, but they failed to help her see positive change in her body. She turned to me. So the first thing I asked her was, "What music do you love? There has to be at least one good song you can add to your life to lighten up your mood!" I explained that good health would not come by merely losing weight, or only cutting out this or that part of her diet, but by adding something she loved would change her thoughts and beliefs about her body. And in turn, she would start to react differently to the whole situation.
Her very favorite music was by Queen and Duran Duran - stuff from her teens. She was embarrassed to admit it.
Her homework was to look at herself naked while listening to Duran Duran and let her impulses take over.
She let 'A View to A Kill' inside her body in such a physical way that she no longer felt weighed down, and shortly thereafter achieved her ideal weight for the role.
Music was her nirvana. She no longer loathed her body and was openly uninhibited. The body has an intelligence of its own. It is in our waking hours when the intellect of the body and the intellect of the mind are at odds; that conflict gets us into difficulties. There can be a great conflict between what our head tells us to do and what the body truly need.
As you begin to understand how your mind functions through your body, you realize that this opportunity exists for you to learn and grow.
So here's a quick technique to help you tap into your sensuality and kick out those negative body image thoughts.
Put on your favorite music, and stand naked. Stop thinking and just move.
"A mismatched outfit, a slightly defective denture, an exquisite mediocrity of the soul - those are the details that make a woman real, alive. The women you see on posters or in fashion magazines - the ones all the women try to imitate nowadays - how can they be attractive? They have no reality of their own; they're just the sum of a set of abstract rules. They aren't born of human bodies; they hatch ready-made from the computers."
― Milan Kundera
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Suzannah Galland is an internationally acclaimed life advisor and influencer for mindful living. Suzannah's work work is about giving individuals (like you!) dynamic insight into what agonizes them most and offering breakthrough solutions. She offers instant, real-time solutions to what troubles her clients -- all delivered with a large shot of compassion. Schedule an Appointment Today.
Suzannah contributes invaluable Quick Insights to the Huffington Post blog, and writes regularly for Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop.com and Spread the Light for KORA Organics by Miranda Kerr. She has been featured on Harper's Bazaar, USA Today, Vogue, Los Angeles Magazine, Glamour, and Marie Claire U.K. Visit her website or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for more Insights to Keep You in The Know.