InsaneJournal

Treat your body like a small child
I just finished watching this video. I kind of stumbled across it because this same man also did some gay rights videos that were inspiring. I didn't intend on fitness/weight loss tips, but the things he has to say are really, really kind and offer a nice perspective.

Some things that stood out for me:

Negative thoughts have physiological effects
I feel this. Not only is it my diet that brings me down, but it's my attitude. The more I talk about hating myself or not looking pretty, or being afraid of eating for fear I won't stop, or when I come down on myself for all of that, I feel bad. I feel heavier, I feel unhappy. I looked at some videos of myself from 2008 when I was at the peak of my healthy eating and exercise. I felt good. I wasn't perfect with my diet, for sure, but I'd lost some weight and I felt energetic and happy. I wasn't stuffing myself to sickness, my skin was clear. And I think part of that confidence boost was that I was thinking good things about my body.

Negative thoughts constrict the body, they weigh you down, and it's completely true. When I'm feeling confident and active and happy, nothing can stop me - until I think something bad about myself and beat myself up. And that's not good. That's abusing myself.

When you start thinking something negative, apologize
Check yourself before you wreck yourself. Realize your negativity, try to figure out where it came from, and then be gentle on yourself. I know I can be really hard on myself for overeating and a lack of control - but that's no reason to be mean about it.

Treat your body like a small child
I don't have to be mean to myself. Thinking of my body as a pet or small child can help. It's young, it isn't as developed as my mind, and sometimes it doesn't know any better. It's my job to take care of it, my job to treat it right. That means making sure it gets activity, making sure it gets its proper nutrients - but it also means that if I eat too much or I'm not feeling pretty that day, to still be kind to it. Would I EVER talk to another person, especially a child, the way I talk to myself? No. I need positive reinforcement, I need to apologize for treating myself so badly. I'm beautiful. I'm going to take care of the one body that I have. It may not look like anyone else's body but it's mine and it deserves my respect. It carries me throughout the day and without it my thoughts wouldn't exist. So it's fat. So it feels heavy and worn down instead of light and loved - but being cruel to it isn't going to help.

This is kind of along the lines that I've been thinking recently, and it's nice to have it validated. I actually want to go in the direction of complaining less, of trying to use optimism to boost me up even when I'm totally feeling down. And that goes for all aspects of my life.