I hope you would appreciate and love a friend like that, make time to listen to their needs, thank them and pamper them every now and again!
I don’t think you would judge a friend like that simply on their looks, would you?
But some of us treat our own precious bodies, which have served us faithfully all of our lives- and literally kept us alive every moment of every day- with much less love than they deserve.
We can get hung up on how we look, rejecting an important aspect of ourselves and building a negative body image that steals our joy and peace.
We sabotage ourselves and our well-being when we treat our bodies like objects instead of part of who we are as whole human beings.
Our culture doesn’t help us, with its relentless pursuit of physical perfection exploited and reinforced by big corporations and the advertising industry.
We will struggle as we get older if we have invested too much in our appearance, and failed to recognize what amazing body, soul and spirit creations we truly are. We’re not here on the earth just to look good and be sexually alluring!
So today, why not take a body-image health check, and do some writing therapy?
In your journal, write a description of your face and body as you think they appear to the world at large. What do you like about your facial features and your body? What don’t you like? Is there anything you want to change? Do you have an obsession over any part of your body, or believe your physique is lacking in any way?
Have you swallowed a lie at some stage of your life, and believed your self-worth depended on looks, so that you rejected some aspect of your appearance?
Are you treating your body with kindness? In the past week or two have you given it a treat, exercised it regularly, and allowed it some pleasures? Or have you treated your body as a slave, pushing it too hard in pursuit of external success or to meet the demands of a difficult situation?
Writing therapy for your body
If your body could talk back, what would it say to you? Write down your body’s response in your journal. Does it feel appreciated and cared for? Or is it feeling sad, criticized, neglected- or even hated?
Now write a list of all the things your body does for you on a daily, weekly and yearly basis. For example, your eyes are your “window to the soul”- they express what’s in your heart and help you communicate; your optic nerve takes a coded image of your loved one’s face to your brain, so you can recognize them and smile from ear to ear.
Your ears allow you to enjoy music, conversation and the joyful sounds of nature: they also warn you when a fast car is approaching so you won’t get hurt.
Even if you have a disability or chronic illness, your body still does an incredible amount for you, and helps you compensate for lost functionality. Your precious body is the only body you’ll ever have. It’s an amazing, miraculous gift and is always doing something for you!
It’s time to return that love, don’t you think?
Make a list of ways you can be kind to your body. Then another list of all your positive attributes, including physical characteristics and personality.
Go to the mirror and salute every part of yourself! Every time you start to judge yourself on your looks, do some writing therapy and praise your body for its greatness. Say thank you to God (or the Universe) for the awesome gift of life. You’re so much more than just a pretty face!
Lyn Alderson is a professional journalist, blogger and author, based in the English Midlands.
She has 25 years’ experience of writing news and features for UK newspapers and magazines.To find out more about Lyn and her work visithttp://lacopywriting.co.uk
If you want to find out more about the health benefits of keeping a journal, check out Lyn's e-book The Write Therapy: How Keeping a Journal Can Make You Happier, Healthier and More Productive available from the Amazon Kindle Store.