Are you struggling with your body image with the holidays coming up? Read this.

Chad and I just came from an amazing weekend away, celebrating the holidays with family and friends.

Just over 6 or 7 years ago, this kind of weekend would have felt way less fun and way more stressful. Get-togethers, decadent food, and family photos being taken would have all made me feel super self-conscious in the past. I would have been picking apart how I looked, comparing my body to other people there and what I was scrolling on social, hyper-analyzing my outfit choices, and close-up to the mirror examining my skin to see if I was “good enough” to enjoy the experience.

So much of my mental energy would have been spent wishing I looked different, being so hard on myself for not being perfect, and thinking about what diet I would start the next day to “fix” it all.

I DREAMED of waking up one day as the kind of woman who felt confident enough to enjoy the holiday season rather than fearing it was going to make me gain weight.

… and coming from me all these years and all this work later… I want you to know that it is possible to enjoy the hell out of the holidays, indulge here and there, and not think that you’re going to have to “start over” on January 1st.

But it takes just that. Work. It doesn’t happen when you’re picking apart your outfits, overanalyzing photos, comparing yourself to everyone else, and spending all your energy wishing and plotting how you’re going to look different.

So today, I want you to ask yourself…

How many thoughts have you had about your body that you’ve thought over and over and over again?

In childhood and through our experiences, we have been exposed to other people’s body beliefs. Mom. Friends. Sister. Social media. TV. They penetrate through comments directed at you, comments said around you, and media messaging. These experiences combined over time have taught you to make all of those things mean your beliefs about your body and they become part of the inner story that you are constantly telling yourself. So like we talked about the above, comments I heard, things I saw, and diets that were done around me all shaped my belief that I needed to be thin to be worthy.

For so many of the clients I coach, the same is true. Their stories are all made up of beliefs based on thoughts they accepted as true.

Let’s challenge those beliefs today…

If you believe you have to look a certain way to be worthy, then every choice you make will be powered by “will this help me to manipulate my body so I can finally be thin” you get stuck in this cycle of shame, then pressure to be different, then trying to fix it.

But what if you BELIEVED your body was worthy of respect? Then you have more freedom to care for yourself which can allow you to shift from punishing your body to giving it what it needs. Even if you don’t love the way your body looks today, you can still act in a loving way toward it.

You can ask yourself…

“What would be a loving choice at this moment?”

So if you’re feeling like you’re not loving your body going into the holidays, or you feel this pressure already to start over in January… ask yourself…

• What can I appreciate about my body today?
• If I knew that food/ movement wouldn’t change my body what choice would I make right now based on what my body actually needs?
• If I felt at peace with my body, what choices would I make today?

If you’re ready to learn to care for your body in loving and respectful ways, even in the moments that are challenging, email me to learn more… [email protected]