Body Image and Self Perception

It's a beautiful cold day in New England. Temperatures have been dropping to single digits the past couple of days. We have snow on the ground and lots of ice patches. This is typical winter weather for us, not the strange luck we had last year with record breaking warm averages. Ginger and I are staying warm today until I hit the studio later this evening with the lovely inspiring Heather. I am thankful to have this day and tomorrow off work to catch up around the house, there's always so much to do! I hope the work week is going well for everyone and if you have it off then I hope you are enjoying it to the max.

Brrr...

Ginger loving the snow.

My other dog Prince, not so much. He prefers cuddling in the cold. 

Cuddling and reading a good book is my favorite in this weather.

Today I would like to discuss body image and talk a little about myself and the ways I had neglected my body by listening to the ego and denying my self-worth. I mean, we all have things that we are not happy with our bodies and would like to change but it's important to make that change for ourselves. If we change for someone else we still feel the emptiness inside, that void needs to be filled. Change has to be empowering and mind-body connected. When we work with our mind and love our bodies, we treat our bodies like a temple and then we can work on making ourselves more whole. 

For me, growing up it was my acne and the way IBS affected me. I always had really bad outbreaks and I still use medication twice a day for my face. Of course when you are in high school and the pressure is all around you to look hot and popular, acne is a definite no-no. I was embarrassed to look at people in their eyes because I thought they were always looking at my face and thinking how awful I looked. I mean, I still struggle with this from time to time. My face looks clearer but I have acne scars and it's a force of habit to turn away from people because they way I think they perceive me. It's easy to think you are not good or pretty enough, your ego wants you to believe that! When you wake up each morning, remind yourself that you are beautiful, no one is perfect, we are all the same, and we are all God's children. We shouldn't shy away from our looks, we have to change our perception about our body image and show it to the world with pride.

So, I also mentioned about IBS. "Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder that leads to abdominal pain and cramping, changes in bowel movements, and other symptoms .About 1 in 6 people in the U.S. have symptoms of IBS. It is the most common intestinal problem that causes patients to be referred to a bowel specialist." (NCBI) I started with IBS in my first year of high school after I finished Accutane to help treat my acne. IBS made me feel bloated, uncomfortable, shy to be around people, and it left me in pain physically and emotionally. In high school, it's awful to have to turn away from parties or friends because you are embarrassed of your symptoms. My stomach would look huge when bloated and then all my body image disturbances would rise up to the surface again. I have learned to deal with my symptoms much better now even though I still have flare ups. I have learned my triggers and avoid them as much as possible. Stress is one of the biggest triggers, it's major how the physical body connects with the mind. It's all connected! I love my body even with IBS, having this illness makes me listen more closely to my body and gets me to fulfill it's needs.

Mind-body Interaction

I also dealt with weight issues growing up. I think we all go through that phase, thinking we are not skinny or good looking enough. The media is full of these tooth pick models and it subconsciously arises in our brains that we have to look like that to be popular. In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, or an eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) (Wade, Keski-Rahkonen, & Hudson, 2011) Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and taking laxatives (Neumark-Sztainer, 2005). I always thought myself as chubby when I looked into the mirror, even though I only weighed 90 lbs soaking wet! I used my IBS as a way to make myself thin since I was constantly in the bathroom. This was unhealthy behavior but this is what the majority of our adolescents are going through today! It's so important to relay healthy body image quotes and mantras to each other and pass on the message of making yourself healthy for you, no one else. Your body does not need dieting or starving, it needs whole foods and exercise so you can have energy and feel great! 

Push your mind and I promise you'll see results.

So true... be the lion in the mirror. Fierce, strong, and confident :)

Love this! We should always live in BEASTMODE.

My beastmode! Feeling great about my body after the work I've put in, physically and spiritually. Being fit and healthy is a way of life for me.

Starting off my breakfast right with some fruit oatmeal and a green tea macha shake.

That concludes my post for today, I hope you found this information helpful and inspiring. I'll try to post more frequently and cover some different topics. If there is anything you would like to see on this blog please share your ideas with me. I will be happy to hear your comments. Thank you, God bless. XOXO