What if we told people we noticed just how awesome their eyes are? How beautiful their skin was? What great lips they have? How much we love their presence? Their energy is contagious. Their laugh makes us feel joyful.
These are all wonderful ways to display to each other just how amazing and stellar their attributes are.
What if compliments are a way of introducing more body acceptance and gratitude into our lives? Note that all the above compliments are not purely physical. They are all encompassing. They display our gratitude for the characteristics that make up the whole person. We noticed their courage when they stood up and asked a question. We saw their vulnerability as they displayed their emotions. Looking at ourselves and each other with more compassion, beauty, and wonder could change us all.
What are some other ways we could increase our contentment within ourselves?
I’ve compiled a list of suggested activities and approaches to help you do just that.
Tips for experiencing more body positive moments in your day-to-day life:
- Tailor information you take in online.
- Speak intentionally, never putting down your or anyone else’s body.
- Learn to tap into your intuition, asking yourself what you need in the moment.
- Eat with your intuition.
- Skip any and all diets.
- Take in body positive content.
- Refrain from passing judgment on all bodies.
- End the day with a mental list of what you are grateful for that day.
- Wear clothes that make you feel like you.
- Share with others when you have a specific need. (space, help, a hug, a good listener, etc.)
- When you speak about your own body, use positive phrases.
- Example: I’m tired and irritable.
- Reframed: I am working through some sensations in my body.
How beautiful life truly is once we remove the critical lens from our eyes and take in the full beauty of the life and the people before us.
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Kristen Donia is a freelance writer living in a tiny house she built in sunny Southern Oregon. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and has dedicated her life to studying and writing about empathy, vulnerability and enriching the human experience.