My recent my birthday got me thinking about the changes in my body as I get older. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I often find myself focusing on what I don’t like about my body. I rarely see my body through loving eyes and forget to recognize all of the wonderful things my body does for me. I take my body for granted.

This year I’m trying something new. I’m choosing to send love to my body. I’m choosing to appreciate and admire all of the wonderful things my body does for me. I know it will take time to shift this deeply ingrained habit, but if I do it every day for a month it will become my new pattern. This Valentine’s Day, I’m choosing to love my body.

We’re often encouraged to push our bodies to its limits. To manipulate our bodies to look or perform a certain way. Pushing and manipulating wears our bodies down. We stop listening to subtle cues that we’re doing too much and need to prioritize rest. We exercise harder because we want that six pack. We drink caffeine to finish a project. All of this creates extra adrenaline in our bodies (you can read about the effects adrenaline has on anxiety in my blog) and sends a signal to our bodies that we’re fighting with it.

We are responding to our bodies out of fear when we push and manipulate. Fear of weight gain, fear of weight loss, fear of not getting everything done - these are just a few examples. This fear relationship we have with our bodies is part of our culture. I think it’s time we change this and instead choose to love our bodies.

I’m not saying we should ignore the aches and pains or any illnesses either. Instead, I’m suggesting that we acknowledge any discomforts in our bodies, but then choose to focus on what we like about our bodies. For example, if you play piano then send love to your hands. If you enjoy going on hikes, thank your legs. Choose to love your hair or your eye color. As long as you’re loving something about your body, you’re changing the energy in your body and creating a new loving pattern.

I’m choosing to thank my body for allowing me to feel the warm hugs and snuggles from my husband and kids. For being able to run and dance. For allowing me to write, paint, cook, and garden. My body grew three babies! That’s a miracle in and of itself.

Below is a list of three ways we can send love to our bodies. These tools will help create healthy energy in our bodies. If we do one or all of them every day, our bodies will respond positively.

3 Ways to Send Love to Our Bodies

1.      Finds 2-3 things you love about your body every day for a month and say them out loud.

2.      Write a love letter to your body thanking it for everything it does and put it in a place where you can see it every day.

3.      Listen to your body and pamper it. Dance, skip, take a bath, nap – whatever feels good to you.

What if we make sending love to our bodies a daily practice? I’m going to send love to my body every day for a month and see what happens. I’ve got nothing to lose. Our bodies deserve love for everything they’re doing for us. Are you with me?