Learn to Love Your Body by Loving Your Inner Self: Pt. 3

A Woman’s Life Journey of Body Acceptance

Part Three: Moving into Body Acceptance for Women  

For women, body image issues can continue to dominate our acceptance of self throughout the college and adult years, ranging from focus on parts of our body we do not like to ways that we feel in our body movement.  A woman’s journey of body acceptance takes many twists and turns as we go into childbearing years, our midlife and as we age into our sliver years.  I have found, like the writer of the Real Simple article, that my journey has been similar in accepting this bigger built, less coordinated body of mine!  I am now almost fifty-six, and am still haunted at times with thoughts of negative body image, but have made peace for the most part, accepting my big build, my awkwardness and my flabby areas as part of my beauty, which is more than my looks.  I do see myself as a woman of beauty overall, knowing that there are many things I like about myself inside and out, even in the process of aging.  I have developed a sense of humor toward the acceptance of my whole life in this body.  My desire is to help my body to live as long as it can with health and even in imperfection.  Regardless of what anyone else thinks, I feel self-acceptance and peace.  I know that there will always be things I can do to improve my health, for which I aspire to, but do not obsess about it in fear.  I am much kinder to myself and am free of judging my value according to my body size.  I improve because I choose to, not because I feel less value if I don’t.

Strategy:

Continue to work on your Life Map, this time focusing on your adult years, including how you felt during pregnancy if you had children and how you felt as your body began to notice your body age as well as body patterns.

Body image can be the last thing to change in a woman’s journey.  I encourage women to think about their journey and make a conscious effort to be aware of just how much their body image dictates their self-acceptance.  If you struggle, then always remember that you can choose to change your viewpoint about your body and learn how to accept your female body at any time in your life.  Start by journaling your body image journey and focusing on what is good about you not matter what your body size.  Begin to notice what you are saying about your body and be more compassionate. Fight the negative, self-deprecating thoughts.  Replace them with a compassionate voice.  Remember beauty runs deep!

 Books of interest on the subject of Body Image:

•   The Body Myth: Adult Women and the Pressure to be Perfectby Margo Maine, PhD and Joe Kelly (2005) John Wiley and Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, New Jersey
• Wanting to Be Her: Body Image Secrets Victoria Won’t Tell You by Michelle Graham (Mar 23, 2005) Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL.
• Locker Room Diaries: The Naked Truth about Women, Body Image, and Re-imagining the “Perfect” Body by Leslie Goldman (May 22, 2007) De Capo Press: Cambridge, MA.
• Comfortable in Your Own Skin: Making Peace with Your Body Image (Focus on the Family Books) by Deborah Newman (Feb 5, 2007) Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
• Weightless: Making Peace With Your Body by Kate Wicker (Aug 1, 2011)  Servant Books, Cincinnati, OH.
• Read My Hips: How I Learned to Love My Body, Ditch Dieting, and Live Large by Kim Brittingham (May 3, 2011) Three Rivers Press.
• The Woman in the Mirror: How to Stop Confusing What You Look Like with Who You Are by Cynthia M. Bulik (Dec 20, 2011) Walker & Company
• Body Wars by Margo Maine Ph.D. (Aug 1, 1999) Gurze Books, Carlsbad, CA  
• Health At Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight by Linda Bacon (May 4, 2010) BenBella Books: Dallas, TX

~Author: Susan Miller, PhD, LPCS, NCC, BCPCC