In case you missed all of the social media posts from earlier this week, we've been focusing on being kind to ourselves, especially the way we think about and treat our bodies.

Some of the questions posed were:

What has your body done for you lately?

Are you a woman who takes excellent care of herself, more often than not?

What would happen if we were obsessed with what we love about ourselves instead of what we hate?

If you talked to your friends the way you talk to your body, would you have any friends left?
What outfit do you own that makes you feel fantastic?

I asked these questions to get you to think about your relationship with your own body. Maybe you can take one little step to appreciate your body, to focus on what you like, talk a little more gently to her. One follower said she hadn't considered buying herself a new outfit in 3 years because she didn't "deserve it". I hope she's inspired to buy one outfit that makes her feel amazing, whether that's a ball gown or yoga pants.

Right now, on a scale of 1 (I find myself disgusting) to 10 (I adore and appreciate every part of my body), where are you?

If you rate yourself a 3 right now, I'm not asking you to jump to a 10 by the end of this article. Maybe if you work on it you can get to a 4, though. Baby steps. Here are two tangible ways to get started.

Make a list of ways that you can take excellent care of yourself. Include some that you already do, and some that you aspire to do. Start with doing one a week, minimum. Add more as you love yourself more and more. Here are some ideas!
- Get 8 hours of sleep
- Go for a walk on a nice day
- Take a bubble bath and read
- Make lunch for work to avoid the "I'm starving and going to get whatever junk I can find" situation at 2 pm
- Spend time with people who make me laugh
- Eat attentively and enjoy the food I'm having
- Take a nap
- Move your body in any way that feels good, just for fun! Dance in the kitchen, play on a hockey team, run at the park with your kids.

2. Find ONE thing about your body that you love (right now, as is). Each time you look at yourself, reinforce that love by looking at what you love and sending love to your body. For example:

"Hey self, your sparkling blue eyes are fantastic. I love you." Yes, you can laugh if you feel silly at first.
"Hey, self, dang those legs are kickin' it today. They have taken you all over the place and are still going strong. I love you."
"Wow, self, those amazing arms of ours are doing double duty today! Hugging and carrying and typing and cooking. I love you arms, thank you!"
"Hello there curly red hair. You are so beautiful and unique. I love you!"

The good news about loving your body is that it's all up to you! There's so little we can control in this life, but we CAN control our own thoughts. Let's say you spend all day hating your body and every time you look in the mirror you think "disgusting." Your negative thoughts create a negative feeling which drives an action (or inaction). If you notice yourself and speak kindly and love yourself, you'll create a positive feeling, which drives entirely different actions for your day. The choice is all yours. Why not love the body you have today?

In case you need a reminder, you are beautiful just the way you are right at this very moment.

XOXO

Michelle

PS: Body Love Week was inspired by the book BARE by Susan Hyatt. It’s a wonderful book that takes you through 7 detailed stages of loving the body you’ve got. She has helped thousands of women do the same. I highly recommend you read the book!

Go Ahead, Love Your Body