How about this instead: imagine what it would be like to love your body no matter what size or shape it was. Imagine that you always loved what you wore and picked clothing that made you feel beautiful, sexy and confident. Imagine that you genuinely FELT radiant.
I feel so sad because many women only believe that loving their body is possible "if" or "when" they ______________ (fill in the blank with your personal if/when). This is not true. Loving your body begins with totally and completely accepting your body EXACTLY AS SHE IS TODAY. In therapy, we call this "radical acceptance." It is radical because it flies in the face of everything we are taught about what it means to love our bodies.
And by acceptance I don't mean just "dealing with it in a resigned fashion"--like, "well, I guess this is it so I better just accept it." No. I mean actually learning to LOVE your body. Even, and especially, the parts you see as "flaws." Because often, those are the parts of your body that need the most love.
For example, if you have stretch marks from having babies, then you need to learn to LOVE those stretch marks because to become a mother you have to be stretched--in ways that you never knew you would or could. And so those marks bear witness to a truth that needs to be honored.
If your body carries more "weight" than you think it should, you need to learn to LOVE that weight. It is there for a reason. Maybe you are breastfeeding. Maybe your curves are from your grandmother.
Here is the truth: you must love your body TODAY. AS SHE IS. Unconditionally. Be gentle to yourself. Extend yourself the same kind of love and compassion you give to others. Then, something magical happens: your body will start to reflect, from the inside out, the radiant love you are giving to her.
I know these truths because I have learned them. Please, my beauties, before you go on another diet, or challenge, or any other sack of bullshit that is being presented as the key to happiness, at least consider my stern warning: that those challenges or diets or cleanses will only leave you with a hunger for things of substance. You will be done with your diet feeling even more dead than alive.
Happiness will be found once you start tending to the garden of your soul and practice radical self love. Radical. This is the way of the heart.
Please, if you are ready for a change, if you dare, fill out the contact form and we can chat about ways to do that.
Peace and love and beauty for 2017!
-Brooke