The other day in my Instagram stories, I asked who else had been struggling with their body image and 100% of responders said that they were. I wanted to create some content around body image, but I realized that I would likely be talking about weight when I actually think the focus should be on connection. Disconnection from our bodies is a common side effect of being a mental health warrior. Our bodies are our battlegrounds. The place where our mind resides. So it’s natural that our bodies become casualties of war. Some of us manifest pain (IBS, headaches nausea), or are exhausted and eat to survive and then become resentful of the fact that we’re gaining weight. As a consequence, we might feel shame and function from the shoulders up, as if we don’t have a body. (I personally throw myself into my work and don’t pay attention until the pain in my body doesn’t give me another choice.) But for others, the struggle could be over-focusing on it. You may develop disordered eating patterns or over-exercise, depending on what your personal journey is. Regardless of which of these applies to you, you likely struggle to connect with your body in a way that’s rooted in love.
So how do you start healing your body when you don’t love it? How do you work on your mind-body connection when you’re already exhausted?
Our culture focuses so much on exercise regimes and weight loss and productivity… All things that are loaded with energy and “busy-ness”. But they don’t really address the way to show ourselves compassion. So I wrote down the things I do that make me feel good - the love notes I give myself when I want/need to reconnect - and it turned into this poem. I hope you use it as the first stepping stone. A simple way to connect to your body when you don’t have much energy left to spare.
- Mx
When Your Body Is Your Battleground (Love Notes)
Love notes to your body look different when your body is your battleground…
When the air clears and the days become seconds, there are…
flickers…
whispers…
of action…
———
extra sips of cold water…
e-x-p-a-n-s-i-o-n
of long
deep
belly breaths...
the ease of the s…l…ooo…w
intentional side stretch...
caT-Cow flows...
a grounding prose…
the subtle rolling of jade
on a burdened cheek…
———
softening the leather that’s layered through the week…
and if there’s one thing we must hold near…
in those whispers there’s no cause to fear…
take down your armor - open inward sight
as we breathe ourselves to the gift of light.
