Love the skin you're in...!
Love the Skin You’re In! (Banish the body shamers!)
We’ve been going to a lot of wedding fairs recently – we have added ‘Wedding Celebrant’ to our portfolio and are letting the folk planning a wedding know that we’re here to help them get the best and most bespoke wedding ceremony possible. It’s been an absolute joy! Well – mainly – I have to say that I am struggling a bit with the attempts to part people from thousands of pounds for ‘party stuff’ and I’m also not happy about the blatant body shaming that I’ve seen from fellow hypnotherapists touting virtual gastric bands etc to get brides (because it’s always aimed squarely at them) to ‘look their best for the big day’. That brings me to the point of this blog…Love the Skin You’re In!!
Now – I’m not advocating that anyone should actively seek out an unhealthy lifestyle. It’s important to be able to move around, to do the things you like to do, go places you want to go and to be fit enough to enjoy life. However, you absolutely do not need to be a certain size and weight to achieve this. If you’re interested, have a listen to a recent Radio 4 programme ‘AntiSocial with Adam Fleming’ the episode titled ‘Body Positivity and fat’ broadcast on 3rd March 2023 and available on BBC Sounds. There are some very interesting arguments and a professor talking about new studies that show that fat levels and links to harm are very individual.
What I am interested in is how people choose to accept or choose to not accept their own body. Are you someone who looks back on photos from 20+ years ago and thinks ‘ blimey – I looked great! Why did I think I was fat??’ Do you compare yourself to the group that you’re with? Working out who is bigger than you/smaller than you? Do you avoid eating in public because you ‘know’ that people will judge you because you shouldn’t be eating? Do you pretend that you’re full when out with friends and then go back and eat secretly at home? Do you know all the ‘rules’ of Slimming World or Weight Watchers etc? Have you been reading all about the new diabetes injection that seems to make the weight fall off with more than a passing interest?
Well – STOP IT!!
These are the facts:
1. There is no magic way to lose weight/change your body shape and keep it like that.
2. Self-acceptance is the first stage in making any big change happen – addiction groups (alcohol, gambolling, over-eating) all are very clear that you need to accept this as part of you so that you can deal with it.
3. Everyone is different and that’s a good thing!
4. A positive mindset will go a long way to helping you live a good and satisfying life
Good mental heath is the key – starting from a place of knowing yourself, understanding yourself and being OK with yourself will enable you to determine if you want to make changes (for your own good rather than anyone else’s). You will be able to decide what you want to start/stop/continue and have a better chance at succeeding.
There are many self-help books, magazine articles, bits on the internet that can help you. Many people choose to work with a third party – a counsellor, life coach or hypnotherapist to help them. Whatever you decide to do, remember that you are enough.
If you’d like to try hypnotherapy to help you adjust your mindset, to build your confidence or re-set some old thinking patterns – get in touch! www.hypnotherapyetc.com