Perspective: What is it you see when you look at yourself?

Posted on 01. Oct, 2009 by Becky in Love Your Body

Loving your body has an awful lot to do with this magical word: PERSPECTIVE!  It’s all in what part of the picture you choose to focus on.  This picture is pretty cool, and if you weren’t logical and educated, you might actually believe that this giant girl is kissing a tiny sphinx.  But, luckily, you’ve got your intellect, and you know that your eyes are playing tricks on you.

It’s interesting how this principle applies to our relationship with our bodies.  Here are 3 things I have learned about keeping my perspective in check when it comes to body image.

1. Avoid Negativity

Now that my baby is 2 months old, it’s difficult to have patience with my post-partum body.  No matter how hard I try to convince myself otherwise, I know there is not a baby in there anymore!  No more excuses!  Luckily, I have also been blessed with logic and intellect, and can choose NOT to stare for long periods of time at the flubber on my post-baby belly.  I can choose NOT to stand sideways in a variety of postures to see just how far my gut sticks out, and I can choose NOT to squish it with my hands to see what shapes I can make.  When I do look in the mirror and my tummy seems to be expanding before my very eyes I can realize that it’s just my eyes playing tricks on me.

2.  Seek Balance in your Life

It never fails that when I allow myself to become overly anxious about my weight or appearance, unhappiness follows and I find that I am in a constant cloud of grumpiness.  Yes, all of our husbands have been the victim of a snippy reply simply because we “feel fat” today.  When we allow a healthy desire to become an obsession, we actually keep ourselves from the well-being we seek.  When I take a step back and focus instead on serving my neighbors and family instead of getting in my workout, I find balance and peace return to my life, and I am finally truly well.  The best way to shrink my waistline is to shrink the “me” out of my life.

3.  Embrace the Positive

I weighed myself today (a rarity) and found that the scale read a number that was exactly 2 pounds heavier than what I was hoping for.  Initially, I couldn’t help but be nasty and irritable until I realized how silly it is to let such a trivial matter ruin a single moment of my life.  Instead, we should celebrate the accomplishments we have made:  3 incredible children, a wonderful husband, and a beautiful home are certainly more blessings than I could ever fairly deserve.  And as far as wellness goes, I am proud to be the mother of 3 approaching 30 and living an active and healthy lifestyle.  Why do we so often ignore our accomplishments and choose to beat ourselves up over our faults?

Today, I will CHOOSE to see myself with PERSPECTIVE, and hope to live up to the person I want to be: not perfect, but striving to live a healthy, selfless, balanced, active life.   Maybe someday my eyes will finally stop playing tricks on me and I’ll see myself as I really am.