Creating a Healthy Relationship With Your Body

For a long time, I thought having a healthy relationship with my body meant loving everything I saw in the mirror. But what if it means something deeper? What if it means learning to appreciate the body that has carried you through every season of your life? The body that has changed, stretched, healed, aged, strengthened, and sometimes simply survived the week? As women, it can be so easy to look at our bodies through a critical lens. We compare ourselves to the woman on social media, the younger version of ourselves, or the unrealistic standard we think we are supposed to meet. But your body was never meant to be your enemy. It is time to stop treating it like one.

Your Body Is Not a Project

There is nothing wrong with wanting to become healthier, stronger, or more confident. I believe we should take care of ourselves. But there is a difference between caring for your body and constantly criticizing it. You can want to lose weight without hating yourself at your current size. You can exercise because you want to feel stronger, not because you believe your body isn't good enough. You can eat healthier without feeling guilty every time you enjoy dessert. You can wear makeup, do your hair, dress up, and enjoy beauty while still knowing that your worth goes far beyond your appearance. Your body can be a work in progress without your self-worth being a work in progress.

Give Yourself Permission to Change

Our bodies change. Motherhood changes us. Aging changes us. Stress changes us. Life changes us.

Sometimes we spend so much energy trying to get back to who we were that we forget to appreciate who we are becoming. Maybe your body doesn't look exactly like it did before children; your metabolism isn't what it used to be; your clothes fit differently. Maybe you have stretch marks, scars, cellulite, gray hairs, or areas that you wish looked different. You don't have to pretend you love every single thing about your body. But you can choose to stop speaking about yourself with cruelty. There is a difference between saying, "I want to make healthier choices" and "I hate my body." One comes from care. The other comes from criticism.

Take Care of Yourself From a Place of Love

One of the biggest mindset shifts I've been working on is asking myself: "Am I taking care of myself because I love myself, or because I don't think I'm good enough?" That question can change everything. Move your body because it deserves movement. Drink your water because your body deserves hydration. Get some rest because you deserve to recharge. Eat nourishing foods because you deserve to feel good. Make that beauty appointment because you enjoy feeling refreshed. Put on the outfit that makes you feel beautiful because you don't need a special occasion to show up for yourself. Self-care isn't about obsessing over your appearance. It's about remembering that you matter, too.

Stop Comparing Your Body to Someone Else's

Social media can make comparison almost impossible to avoid. We see perfect lighting, carefully chosen angles, filters, edited photos, curated outfits, and highlight reels. Then we look at ourselves in the bathroom mirror on a random Tuesday morning and wonder why we don't look like that.

Girl, please! Your real life was never supposed to compete with someone's curated highlight reel.

Instead of asking, "Why don't I look like her?" try asking: "What can I do today to feel good in my own body?" Maybe it's taking a walk, putting on your favorite lipstick, getting dressed instead of staying in pajamas all day, or resting. Maybe it's simply looking in the mirror and saying, "Girl, we're doing okay." That's progress, too.

A Little Reminder for the Woman Reading This

Your body has carried you through things you never thought you'd experience.

It has gotten you through long days, sleepless nights, pregnancies, motherhood, stress, celebrations, disappointments, healing, growth, and everything in between.

Instead of constantly asking what your body can look like, we should also ask:

Your body deserves to be cared for, celebrated, and respected in every season. You don't have to become a different woman to start loving the woman you are. You just have to start treating her like she matters. And she does.

XOXO,Cambrie

Glamour Mommy Maven

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