Day 1 of 30 days to body acceptance
Cultivating Body Acceptance With the Power of a Gratitude Journal
Read to the end to find out today’s challenge.
You've probably heard the old saying, "count your blessings." Well, a gratitude journal is one way to do just that. A gratitude journal is simply a notebook where you write down things you're grateful for. It can be anything from the sun shining on your face to the love of your family and friends.
There are lots of reasons to keep a gratitude journal. For one, it can help you focus on the positive aspects of your life. It can also help you feel more connected to your surroundings and boost your mood. But perhaps the best reason of all is that it can help you cultivate body acceptance.
When you're grateful for all the good in your life, it becomes much harder to focus on the negative aspects of your body. And that's a good thing, because when you accept and love yourself just as you are, you're on the path to true happiness and self-love.
How Does Having a Gratitude Journal Help With Body Acceptance?
When it comes to having a gratitude journal and body acceptance, the two definitely intersect.
For starters, gratitude journals help us focus on the good things in our lives, even when things are tough. This is important when it comes to body acceptance, because it can be easy to get wrapped up in all the areas where we feel we're lacking. When we're constantly focusing on our faults, it's hard to see ourselves in a positive light.
But with a gratitude journal, we're able to focus on the good things we have going for us—both internally and externally. We start to see ourselves as more than just our physical appearance, and that's an important step in accepting our bodies for who they are.
Gratitude journals also help us develop a more positive relationship with ourselves. When we're kinder and gentler to ourselves, we're more likely to be accepting of our bodies as they are. After all, nobody is perfect, and that includes us!
When you focus on the good things about your body, you're less likely to fixate on the negative thoughts and feelings that often contribute to body dissatisfaction.
So, if you're looking for a way to start accepting your body just the way it is, gratitude journaling may be just what you need.
Writing Prompts to Help Cultivate Body Acceptance
In cultivating body acceptance and self-love, start off with some simple gratitude journal prompts. Write down all the things you are grateful for. To help focus on body acceptance, think of things like your body’s ability to move you through the day, how much work it does for you, how it always knows where to go and how to keep you safe.
You can also go a step further by writing down all of your physical traits and attributes that bring you joy. Maybe its your curly hair, or your strong arms that enable you to carry heavy bags on a daily basis. Maybe it's the dimple in your nose - whatever it is, write it down and list out why those physical characteristics give you a sense of joy.
If this exercise feels awkward or uncomfortable at first, that’s okay. The goal isn't to make this activity feel forced but rather to focus on the small things and moments of happiness that come from within yourself. Once we become more aware of our body features, they'll no longer be something to dread or hide away but something we can embrace and enjoy!
How to Keep Your Gratitude Journal
Creating a gratitude journal is one of the simplest, yet most powerful tools you can use to cultivate body acceptance. Every day, write down five positive things: not just about your body, but about yourself as a person. It could be anything from appreciating warmth of the sun on your skin to noticing how quickly you've been able to learn a new skill.
The more often you write down these positive things, the more they will become part of your daily mindset. This can help recalibrate your thinking so that instead of constantly criticizing everything that doesn’t fit into society’s beauty standards, you’ll be able to focus on the traits and features that make you unique and beautiful, regardless of what others think or say.
Try it for yourself and see how it changes your perspective on yourself and body image
The bottom line is that gratitude journals can help cultivate body acceptance. When you take the time to appreciate your body, even the things you don't like about it, you start to see your body in a new light. You may still see flaws, but you also see potential. You see all the things your body can do, not just the things it looks like.
The more you appreciate your body, the more you'll want to take care of it. You'll start to see your body as a valuable ally, not just something to be ashamed of. Gratitude journals can help you shift your perspective on your body, and that can be incredibly powerful for cultivating body acceptance.
Today’s challenge :
Write five things you are grateful for, post it on Instagram, use the hashtag #30daystobodyacceptance and tag @feministincsays. I will repost it.
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