You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.
-Amy Bloom
If you’re anything like me, you probably overindulged during the holiday season.
You also probably told yourself it wasn’t going to happen again this year, and yet again, you fell into your “normal” holiday patterns.
And, here we are at the beginning of a new year, and you’re probably falling into your normal new year’s patterns too. You know the ones, unattainable resolutions, complicated goals, self-depravation, etc.
So, how about doing something different this year, especially when it comes to body image after the holidays?
HOW ABOUT…
Less body hate and more body love?
Less depravation and more balance?
Less beating yourself up and more self-compassion?
Less self-judgment and more self-kindness?
Less worth based on size and more based on feeling good from the inside out?
What else would you add to this list that’s helped with positive body image shifts in your own life?
Another area where body image issues show up is in postpartum (which can also be made worse by the overindulgent holiday season). Did you experience this after the birth of your baby/babies? I know I sure did after the birth of both of mine.
Why do body image issues show up so frequently during postpartum?
- High expectations that the baby weight would come off quickly
- Being told that breastfeeding would help with weight loss, which sometimes happens to the lucky few among us, but for many of us this wasn’t our experience. And, what about the moms who weren’t able or chose not to breastfeed?
- A mental health issue like postpartum anxiety or postpartum depression impacting your normal eating patterns
- Often, even after the baby weight comes off, your body doesn’t go back to how it was pre-baby, which can cause of a lot of angst and sadness.
- Comparing yourself to other new moms, especially anyone famous who seemingly lost their baby weight overnight, which is unrealistic and even emotionally damaging to model.
- Not being able to exercise until at least six weeks postpartum, which can cause you to feel weak and unfit, and it’s also often hard to get back into shape after not exercising for an extended amount of time.
What else would you add here from your own experience with body image issues surfacing during postpartum?
Here are some self-care ideas to help with body image issues:
- Talk to a therapist to help get underneath the surface level issues to figure out what the deeper issues are for you around this issue
- Have a mantra to remind you to come from a place of self-compassion
- Do a loving kindness meditation daily
- Focus on your own strength and what your body can do
- Journal about how you’re feeling
- Discuss this topic openly with family and friends to help support each other, normalize these feelings and so you don’t feel so alone in this struggle
What other self-care ideas would you add to this list to help with body image issues?
It can be hard to come from a place of loving kindness towards your body after overindulging during the holiday season. As always, remember that you’re not alone in how you’re feeling, many of us over did it during the holidays, and your feelings are normal and valid.
Finally, instead of a crash diet that leaves you starving (and grumpy!) or an extreme workout program that leave you injured (and grumpy!), what if you made some simple, slow changes as we move forward in this new year? Plus, these types of changes tend to be more sustainable long-term, and isn’t that the ultimate goal, long lasting change? Good luck, and know that I’m sending you lots of love and support in 2023!
