Petrene Soames
Getting Real With Your Body - Ten Steps To Great Health
by Petrene Soames /Author of The Essence of Self-Healing
For many of us, not being happy or satisfied or even disliking our body is a
major block to happiness and awareness. Women especially spend a lot of time
wishing their body was different in one way or another. We have not only
bought into accepted concepts of what is perfect, beautiful and ideal for
body shape, we also police ourselves constantly with thoughts and beliefs
such as "my stomach is too big", "my thighs are too fat", "my butt sags",
and so on. We each have parts of us we wish were different and it can be as
simple as a basic wish for change right to an obsessive, constant battle and
beating up of ourselves feeling that we will never be lovable enough,
attractive enough, and that life will never be great until we loose those
extra unwanted pounds. All of this adds up to very destructive behaviors and
thought patterns that often seem hard to break.
How we act and react
It's important to say that being overweight or out of shape is not only
about what we eat. It's about our emotional state of being, how we deal with
stress, how fast we process and clear life experiences. It's about how our
life is going and how we are dealing and relating to it, both now and in the
past. If you are overweight or out of shape, simply ask yourself what are
you holding on to, what are the things you feel stuck on? Comfort eating can
be simple and relatively harmless, like a small sweet snack to give you a
lift when things aren't going right. It might also get to serious overeating
just to feel safe and blanket distressing emotions such as anger, fear,
pain, despair and loneliness. The more we get angry with ourselves for doing
this, the more stuck and out of control we feel. It can seem like a
never-ending circle.
What we can do
Be honest with yourself. How much are you really in your body? How often do
you feel zoned out and on automatic? Define the triggers, the situations,
people, simple events and emotions that keep you out of your body and out of
touch with yourself. They might be very simple, old pains, hurts and fears
that you have never resolved or found closure on, unfulfilled needs in the
present and from the past, lack of love from others and to yourself from
yourself, insecurities, not realizing and accepting that you are indeed a
wonderful and amazing being with true talents and unique thoughts, ways of
being and experiencing life, not realizing that you do have a lot to give.
Follow these ten tips to get back into your body, into great health and
shape and get real with yourself and your life.
1. Include plenty of room temperature water in your diet every day. Quit
drinking fizzy, sugary drinks, even the diet variety. Cut back on alcohol.
2. Become aware of what you do eat and how much each day by keeping a list
for a week. Later re-think your diet. Eat simple basic foods. Include more
fruits, vegetables, brown bread, grains, non sugary cereals. Consider
becoming vegetarian.
3. Make time every day for yourself. Even ten minutes is vital. You need to
let go, sit still, relax, do nothing. Let your thoughts come and go. Breathe
deeply from the bottom of your stomach. Say firmly in your mind: "I am
letting go of everything I no longer need". Mean it!
4. Rub your stomach slowly backwards and forwards, then round and round with
slow circular movements of your hand. Breathe deeply. This will calm and
soothe you when you are tired, anxious, or stressed, and replace the need of
reaching for the ice cream and cookie jar.
5. Look at yourself in the mirror. Simply look. Do not judge. If you find
yourself doing so, stop. Simply look, accept what you see and look for the
beauty beyond any pain in your face and your eyes.
6. Love yourself completely without condition. Use positive affirmations
each day. Be open to realizing how wonderful, amazing and special you really
already are. Don't wait for tomorrow to be perfect. Love and accept yourself
just as you are today and every day. Realize that you do know what you are
doing at all times and that there are no mistakes.
7. Bring color into your life. Wear it. Bring it into your home or
workplace. Or imagine being surrounded by color and breathe it all through
your body until you are full.
8. Ask yourself at least once a day: "Where am I right now?" You may be
driving to work and yet still in events in previous days or well into the
future in anticipated events. Become aware of where you are and how you are
more often. Make a point of also recognizing who you are being. Are you
playing a role or are you simply being yourself?
9. Dream. Visualize how you want your life to be one year from now, 5 years,
10 years. Expect the best. See the positives in all negatives for they are
there waiting for you to discover. Remember, nothing is ever only as it
seems.
10. Lighten up. Have fun. Stop feeling responsible. Break patterns. Be
spontaneous. Explore other facets of yourself. Throw away, give away or even
sell everything you no longer need.
Petrene Soames is the author of The Essence of Self-Healing: How To Bring
Health And Happiness Into Your Life. [ISBN 0-97700444-0-2 - FleetStreet
Publications - March 2001]. Visit her web site at http://petrene.com to read
more about Petrene Soames, self-healing, and awareness, and enjoy her free
interactive Color, Focus and Audio rooms, or call 281-363-9983. Email
her at info@petrene.com
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