November Week 2: Re-connect With Your Body

I remember when I struggled with my weight-- it was like I lived in my head and my body was this disconnected entity existing below me. Every once in a while, I would feel the extra flesh pressing against my waistline or see my reflection and I would react by feeling horrible and habitually spew poisonous word darts at my poor body:

• “You are disgusting”
• “I wish I could cut the fat off my thighs!”
• “Nobody could love you, you fat slob.”

How do we stay disconnected from our body?

• We have negative thoughts about our body and say nasty things about it.
• We feed our body food that pollutes it.
• We do not exercise it.
• We over work and exhaust it.

RE-CONNECT WITH YOUR BODY

When a couple is in therapy trying to repair their relationship, they often have homework to teach them to become more loving towards one another.  Of course, there may be things that we want to change, but step 1 to making positive change is setting up a positive dialogue.  Given that our relationship with our body is the central relationship in our life -- and divorcing it is not an option, this week I invite you to work on connecting more lovingly and start noticing how wonderful your body is--just as it is!

BODY APPRECIATION EXERCISE

Try this simple exercise 2 x day every day this week. It will bring you back into your body and allow you to inhabit it in a loving way. I think the best times to do this are: in bed in the morning, before lunch, in your car, in the shower, in the bath, before bed.

1. Start with your CONNECT BREATH (we learned this last week) Breath to the count of five in through the nose, hold two, out five.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Experience your body through your senses. Notice what you are hearing. Notice what sensations are going on inside your body—heart pumping, lungs breathing etc. Notice how your body interacts with the world—how you skin notices temperature, sensations of clothing etc. Just spend some quality time in your body noticing and thinking about all the wonderful things it does for you.
4. Appreciate your body for one thing it does for you.“Thank you body for walking me around my life. You do that so well.
5. Let your body know what loving things you will be doing for it today. For example:
   “I am going to eat five servings of vegetables”
   “I am not going to eat any refined sugar”
   “I am going for a long walk”
   “I am going to bed early”
6. If any negative thoughts about your body arise during this exercise, notice the thought, surf over it and bring your attention back to your positive focus.
   For example:
   a. There is the thought my stomach is gross.
   b. That is just a thought.
   c. My stomach is amazing because it digests food for my body and keeps my body alive. I appreciate my stomach and will make health choices for it today.

Enjoy loving your body this week!