By Kristen Donia —
If someone were to ask, would you call yourself goal-oriented? For some of us, goals are the driving forces of our lives and on the other hand, sometimes we’re looking for a place to start in establishing healthy, attainable goals.
We’ve been on this road together, evaluating our relationship with our bodies and what body positivity practices and hindrances we apply to our daily lives. Ultimately, I think most of us want to live a more all-encompassing, self-accepting lives. And there’s no time like the present to put these desires down on paper (or notes on your phone). Often considering where we are and where we want to go is the perfect place to have that check-in with ourselves. A few questions you can ask to get this conversation started are:
What is one tangible part of my life I can change to be more self-accepting?
It doesn’t have to be a big, huge, lifestyle change. Think smaller, doing so allows you to build up to those bigger goals over time, and starting in a more realistic way sets you up for success.
Is there something that sticks out in my mind that I can do on the daily to be more body positive?
What goals do you want to achieve? And can I do them with my current mentality?
In an effort to take a step in the right direction, just, start somewhere. I’ve compiled a list of suggestions to help. Try one, try a few, or do them all. Some may resonate with you more than others and that’s okay.
Consider this a DIY list, take what applies to your individual mindset and life and think of it as steps in simply being kind to yourself on a daily basis. You are not required to do anything, just being here, reading this, is getting you thinking more proactively, taking a step in the right direction to be a more body positive you.
I will not…
-Compare myself to strangers on the internet.
-Compare myself to friends on the internet or in real life.
-Talk about my body negatively to anyone including myself in my thoughts.
I will…
-Follow accounts on social media that promote a positive self-image.
-Unfollow or mute accounts that make me feel bad about myself.
-Wear clothes that make me feel comfortable in my body.
-Use this affirmation: “I am whole, perfect and strong” when I need it.
-Continue to do activities that bring me joy.
-Give myself grace and respect my body and all it does for me when I look in the mirror.
-Avoid social gatherings that aren’t in alignment with my goals.
-Seek out more Netflix shows about cool, strong, independent women.
-Practice self-care, allowing myself rest when I need rest, eat when I’m hungry, and seek out someone I trust when I need to be heard.
-When I’m feeling really low, I will make a list either on my phone or on paper of ten things I love about myself.
-Continue to put distance between people who don’t ‘see’ me for the person I am.
-Surround myself with people who fill my cup up, make me feel good about myself and value who I am as a person, inside and out.