Practicing body love when isolated at home can be difficult, especially if you are used to having the business of your day to distract you from negative thoughts about your body. Or maybe your routine has been thrown off because you can’t go to the gym or you aren’t able to find the foods you normally prefer to eat. Or maybe you are afraid of gaining weight during this time.
It might seem like a difficult time to practice body love, but now is actually the perfect time to show your body some love. Here are five ways you can do it.
Listen to Your Body
We are so used to rushing, rushing, rushing and we often consider being busy a badge of honor, but with some forced time at home we can truly listen to our bodies. Do you need rest? Do you need to drink more water? Now is the time to actually listen to what your body needs and provide it. Take a nap in the afternoon, take a hot bath or extra long shower, sleep in late, make your favorite comfort food or try a new recipe, have a dance party with your kids, or try meditation. Whatever it is your body needs, listen and do that thing.
Move Your Body in Ways that Feel Good
If you’re used to going to the gym or even getting most of your movement at work or other social activities, being at home all day can make it getting a workout in seem difficult. But there are tons of things you can do from home and it doesn’t even have to be a traditional workout. Go for a walk if the weather permits, do at-home yoga videos or run around the backyard.
If a hardcore workout doesn’t feel good or isn’t accessible right now, move your body however feels good to you. You can find videos for almost anything on YouTube, from dance workouts to yoga to workouts that use common items in your home. Exercise and movement is proven to improve mood and help support a healthy immune system so don’t neglect moving your body just because you’re stuck at home! Moving your body is also one of the best ways to remind yourself of all the incredible things your body is capable of.
Read Body Positive Books/Blogs
If you have extra time in your day, now is a great time to seek out body positive books, blogs and other content to inspire you to love and accept your body just the way you are. Or at the very least, stop consuming content that makes you feel bad about yourself.
Journal
If you’ve never been a journaler, this may feel out of your comfort zone, but there is something so powerful about writing things down, especially when it comes to your feelings and emotions surrounding your body. There are tons of self-love journal prompts on Pinterest/Google, but here are a few to get yourself started:
- List 100 things you like about yourself. They don’t have to be body-related.
- Write about the first time you remember feeling bad about your body. Where did those feelings come from? How have you internalized those feelings?
- Write down all the amazing things your body has done for you or has let you do in your life.
- Imagine what your life will be like when you’ve finally made peace with your body. Write down how you feel, what your body looks like/feels like, how you feed and move your body, the things you say to yourself. Be super-detailed and when you’re done, circle the things you can implement in your life right how.
Practice Saying Positive Things to Yourself
This has been one of the biggest game changers in my own body-positivity journey. As we have extra time at home and potentially more time in front of the mirror, now is the perfect time to practice saying positive and uplifting things. When you find yourself saying or thinking negative things about yourself, make the conscious effort to stop those thoughts and replace them with something positive.
If you’ve spent years talking badly about yourself, saying nice things will feel weird at first, but it gets easier over time. Practice lifting yourself up the same way you would lift up and compliment a friend or sister, and then watch the way your mindset starts to change.
