I recently read a post from a (Christian) influencer that said, “I don’t believe any woman actually loves her body,” meaning no woman actually has a healthy relationship with her body.
I completely understood her point—she was admitting that she struggled regularly (and I’m truly thankful for her vulnerability) and desiring to normalize this feeling for all women—that it’s normal to struggle with your body, to believe lies, and to feel like it’s not enough. I get it. I’ve felt it.
And yet, I wanted to add a “But,”…
It’s common – absolutely. The enemy has been attacking women since the fall, causing her to doubt that what God really said is true.
But, I don’t believe this has to be any woman’s normal.
But, I believe we can choose a new story to tell ourselves.
And I believe true freedom from body shame and body image issues IS possible bc I’ve experienced it!
5 things I do to stay free:
1. Practice kindness—be kind to yourself and avoid things that aren’t. Maybe it’s not weighing yourself every day, or it’s choosing kind foods that fuel you well, or maybe it’s speaking words of affirmation over your body each day. Whatever it might be, choose to be kind to yourself.
2. Practice gratitude – thankfulness is the quickest thing that gets me out of a funk. Start with the obvious things – i.e., “Thank you for a heart that’s pumping blood through my body, lungs allowing me to breathe, arms and legs that helped me complete the tasks that needed to be done,” etc. But can you also be thankful for stretch marks bc you carried a child? Children to take care of, which might mean less time at the gym. How can you be thankful for the tasks your body has done and will continue to do?
3. Recognize common lies and learn a new story – what’s the lie you always hear? What’s the phrase that circles in your head? Is it actually true? If it’s not kind, it’s not your Father’s voice. So, if it’s a lie, then we need to learn a new story. What truth can you repeat when that lie pops into your head daily?
4. Spend less time focused on self – maybe it’s less time in front of a mirror, or less time changing outfit after outfit. I don’t know about you, but the more time I focus on myself, the more I start picking myself apart. I’m not saying that we ignore or neglect; I’m simply saying that sometimes less analysis helps us focus more on the things that truly matter.
5. Wear clothes that fit AND that you love – get rid of things you don’t immediately love and feel good when you put them on. Is this a little materialistic? Yes. But we all need to wear clothes. 😉 You might as well have some that don’t make you uncomfortable! When my pants are tight, I don’t think kind thoughts about myself. But when my clothes fit, I stop thinking about my body and can focus on the task at hand or the people I’m with.
You’re meant to live FREE—even from body image issues and shame! This doesn’t happen overnight, but I don’t want you to believe the lie that you’re stuck. If you want some truth sent to your inbox, click here and we’d love to GIFT you a FREE pretty PDF of Truth that we hope will encourage you today!
