YOUR BODY DESERVES A CELEBRATION
Hello there and happy Tuesday! I hope this week finds you thinking of how amazing your body is. I'm drinking my favourite chai in the city this morning and thinking about all the ways I want to love and celebrate my body.
As we roll into the middle of this month of basking, lazing, lolling, sunbathing, floating and anything else that makes you feel like you are soaking it all in, I hope you will take the time to bask in your body.
And before you start to run through the list of things you feel you need to change, I want to remind you that sinking into and celebrating your body, does not require that you love every little thing about it. Think about the people you love most fiercely in your life. Those people you would do anything for and who you would celebrate every day of the week if you could. I guarantee you none of them are perfect and you don't expect them to be. Same goes for your body. I want you to get to a place where you love it fiercely and celebrate it often.
For many years, I only saw my body as a disappointment. Something I needed to change in order to fit in and be loveable. The idea of celebrating it without it being what society wanted it to be was inconceivable to me. But as the years have passed and my intentions and perspectives have changed, I now absolutely want to celebrate every inch of my body, even on the days when I'm not so happy in it.
I celebrate it with delicious food, with walks in nature, especially taking my shoes off in the grass or on the sand. I celebrate it by moving in ways that make me happy and wearing clothes that fit comfortably and reflect my style and mood in each moment. I celebrate it with massage and extra long sleep-ins, and also by hopping on stage without hiding or trying to shrink myself. I celebrate with lovely smelling creams and gentle self touch. I celebrate it with sex. I thank it often and I look at myself in the mirror naked every single day, without shame.
No, I don't love everything about my body. But I am fiercely protective of it and I know it deserves my respect. I can't control what other people think or how they react to me, but I can give my body all the love and respect I withheld for so long. And hell yeah, I can give it a party!
I often hear people talk about listing all the things your body does for you as a way of connecting to and celebrating it. And while I agree this can be lovely if it calls to you, I will also say that you don't need to do that to feel worthy of celebrating. Your body doesn't have to do anything. You can celebrate it because it exists and it's part of you. Fat, thin, young, old, differently abled, sick, well, aching, tired or full of energy. You can and should celebrate it all.
So take a moment, preferably with a cup of tea in hand and think about what feels fun and luxurious to you. How do you want to bask in the wonder of your body? Make a list, pop it somewhere you can see it, and then see how many amazing things you can check off this month.
As always, I'd love to hear about it! How are you celebrating your body? What does it feel like to invite in that fierce love and let go of constant judgement? Let me know in the comments below.
As you move through this week, remember to treat yourself and your body with love, respect and kindness.
Much love,
Helen xo
