Cherish or Perish

We only get one body. While we can use advanced medical treatments to change, heal, and prolong life, we only get one body. Have you ever thought about it that way? If you were only allowed one car or one house for your entire life, how would you treat it? Would you run them into the ground and treat them carelessly because you took them for granted? Or, would you do everything in your power to take care of them?

Why do we tend to treat our bodies so carelessly? Why is it so easy to drink soda instead of water, to try to live off 5 hours of sleep and watch tv instead of moving our body regularly? The reasons are different for everyone, but there are 3 big reasons this happens for my clients:

  1. Trauma- When we have experienced trauma, the ability to separate from our body is a means of survival. Particularly if we have experienced physical or sexual abuse. However, if we have never felt good enough or worthy enough for any reason, we start to treat ourselves and our bodies with disrespect.
  2. Body discontent- We are bombarded with messages that our bodies aren’t ok. Every commercial for a diet, wrinkle cream, plastic surgery, hair dye, make-up, etc. is aimed at telling us we aren’t good enough, but we could be if we bought their product. If that isn’t enough, our friends and family members love to talk about the latest diet or fat freezing or making comments about their own bodies, as well as ours.
  3. We are too busy- We are the busiest, least satisfied and most medicated we have ever been as a collective culture. It seems like we are constantly multi-tasking and not the least bit present in our lives. We are disconnected from people and ourselves and rarely stop long enough to realize it. I saw a meme a while back that said, “If you don’t take time for your wellness, you’ll be forced to take time for your illness”. This could not be more true. There will never be a “good” time for self-care. You have to make time for it. If you don’t, it will come back to haunt you.

So, take care of your body. Nurture it. Love it even when you don’t want to like it. If you treat your body with love, loving behaviors will follow. Love will get you so much further than hate or shame ever has! Loving your body doesn’t mean that you can’t make changes. Quite the opposite! By loving your body, you can get out of the shame cycle that has kept you engaging in an unhealthy relationship with food. If you need help learning to love your body, contact me today!

Michelle Lewis

Michelle Lewis

Michelle Lewis has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Weber State University and a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Utah. She has been working in the mental health field since 2001.
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