Perception plays a huge role in the work that I do as a coach. But what is perception and how can shifting your perception help you move from hating your body to loving your body?
Here I offer you ways in which you can start changing how you view yourself, so you can start living the life you want.
So, what is perception?
Perception refers to the way you take in the world through your senses. It’s also the opinions and beliefs you’ve formed about something, in this case your body. Simply put, the view, the image and the opinion you have of your body is different to how others see you.
But what separates our views of this one body?
It's what we filter in and out of our awareness. This will depend on our values, our beliefs, our experiences and how we view the world.
We could be looking at the same body and thinking two entirely different things.
So, what separates us is our thinking and what we choose to focus on, and what we choose to focus on magnifies.
Where you place your energy and your attention is what expands.
In the case of your body, you are focused on the parts you don’t like. You are judging your body at every opportunity and you are comparing yourself to others to determine your worth.
Sometime ago you defined who you were by how you looked. You painted a very childlike picture of yourself and carried it around your entire life, so it’s become your truth.
Nowadays you tell yourself you’re not good enough, you are very critical of your body and try to perfect it, you’re hard on yourself and you talk negatively towards yourself. Your confidence and self-esteem is low and because of this you hide away, you cover your body, and you make decisions based on how you feel about your body.
So, how can you create a new perception of yourself?
Firstly, you have to be willing to throw the old picture away and paint a new picture because it’s not a true representation of who you are anymore.
You are not your body. You are a unique, one-of-a-kind woman and there is no one else in the world like you, and there never will be again.
Start by asking yourself, who am I besides my body? What are the parts of me I have forgotten about or chosen not to focus on?
Create a list of all the qualities that are naturally you. Do some research. Ask the people who love you, why they love you. Set alerts on your phone that pop up during the day to remind you of who you really are or put this list on your bathroom mirror, so you see it every day.
Are compliments your friend? I don’t imagine so! Do you brush them off, do you think they are just being nice, do you say thanks but don’t really believe them?
Put yourself in their shoes for a moment, by not accepting their compliment or believing they are genuine you are rejecting them. We cannot see what is not in us. This means they are seeing themselves in you and you are rejecting them. While at the same time, you are rejecting yourself.
Take some time at the end of the day to reflect on what others have noticed in you. Close your eyes and breath their words into your heart. Feel how that feels and focus on gratitude. By acknowledging and feeling, you start the process of self-acceptance.
Next, start building awareness around your thoughts and the stories you tell yourself. What is your inner voice saying? How does that make you feel? What action do you take because of it? Where were you? Who were you with at the time? Start journaling and noticing your patterns.
Finally, decide who you want to be? What thoughts do you want to have? How will that make you feel? What will you do differently?
Ready to learn more about how you can change your thinking and unlock your true potential?
If you would like to learn more about how I can support you in developing a healthy body image, click on the link below and book in for a free chat!
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