Have you heard of body neutrality?
Body image is the thoughts and feelings you have about your body. In our culture, our body image can be a challenging subject given how many social and cultural influences we have on what bodies are supposed to look like. However, having a healthy body image is crucial to healthy confidence and sense of self. Many people have heard of body positivity, but may not know about body neutrality. Many people find body positivity nice in theory, yet very difficult to execute in real life. Body neutrality, is the idea that you may not always love your body however, you always respect it. This gives you grace on the expectations of how to feel about your body. You don’t have to fake it, you don’t have to pretend to love something you don’t. The important part about body neutrality is the practice of respect. A major facet of respect, is valuing intrinsic worth. You are inherently worthy outside of what your body looks like. Who you are is not what your body looks like. Body neutrality is all about accepting your feelings without judgement and not letting them negatively affect how you behave.
What does it look like to practice respecting your body? It can look a lot of different ways! For starters, speaking to yourself respectfully. Being kind to yourself and being intentional about the words you choose, even if they just exist in your head. Some external action reframes might look like choosing movement that supports your health. For example, you may want to run to lose fat. Instead of thinking, “I’m going to run off this burger and the fat it created,” a body neutral thought and action would be, “I’m going to run because it keeps my heart healthy and gives me energy.” Another example might be doing core exercises because a strong core reduces your back pain and helps you feel more sturdy as you move through the world, instead of “creating abs.” With food, you might say, “I’m going to eat when my body is hungry no matter what I think about my looks, stop eating when I’m full so that I feel comfortable, and eat in a way that helps me feel my best.” Respect also includes being mindful of the substances you consume, such as alcohol. Body neutrality asks us to focus on health vs. looks and reframes the way we talk about our body and actions. Remember, it’s all about respect. You don’t always have to like what you see in the mirror and you can always practice respect and kindness. Remember, you can’t shame yourself into loving yourself and your body is the least interesting thing about you.
Questions to ponder.
How neutral are you with your body?
How do you speak to yourself about your body? How does that feel?
What are some body neutral reframes you could start practicing?
