A lot goes into our minds the second we look into a mirror. These thoughts can range from “I look great today!” to “I don’t like the way my stomach looks in this outfit” to “I don’t even recognize myself”. It is near impossible to go a day without seeing a glimpse of ourselves in the windows, the mirrors, or even our phone. Sometimes it feels like we have no control over what our mind is telling us about our bodies. One day we like what we see and the next day we don’t. This can be such a frustrating back and forth battle with ourselves. The energy we spend wanting to change what we see in the mirror can be an exhausting experience.
So, how do we help ourselves? Well, what would it look like to rewrite your body narrative? First you may ask – what is a body narrative? Body narrative is essentially the story you have around your body – your thoughts, feelings, words that you use towards it, etc. Our body narrative is usually formed by different areas of our lives. These areas are usually – our upbringing, society/media, and our relationships. Taking a look at each of these areas and identifying and connecting them with what they have told us about our bodies can help us better understand out body narrative.
Get rid of the old narrative. Write out those negative thoughts about your body on
paper.
Look at that list and ask yourself – would you say those things to your younger self? Would you say those things to your best friend? If I had to guess, I would say probably not. And you are worth much more than saying those things to yourself. Get rid of the paper. Burn the paper. Shred the paper. Throw the paper into the ocean! Let this be a symbol of getting rid of the old narrative and welcoming the new. When you are ready, write a new narrative. Rephrase these lies you have told yourself for so long. Write to a version of you that you want to love and hold on to as you would a family member or a best friend. You are deserving of this new narrative. You are worthy of this new narrative.
By: Kristen Grimes, Masters level intern
