Body Image Reset: Week 2
REINTRODUCTION
Welcome to week 2! In this week, we are going to reintroduce ourselves to our bodies and get in touch with them daily. You can add this week’s activity into the 15 minutes that you have already carved out for last week’s activity. You are going to continue to look at yourself, but this time we are going to touch our bodies while we do it. Many of us that live in cold climates get out of touch with our bodies through the winter months because we are wearing so many layers and many of us have also, unfortunately, felt unsafe in our bodies due to past traumas - but the reality is, is that our bodies ARE safe and we can remind ourselves of this by working with them, but we need to get to know them first!
The Steps:
Set a timer for 2 minutes
Continue your practice of disrobing in front of the mirror OR looking at the photograph and getting your thoughts out onto paper
Set a new timer for 5 minutes
While naked, use your hands to gently move across your body making sure to spend time on the areas of insecurity. Feel free to use lotion or body oil to cover your entire body from top to bottom
Pay attention to the thoughts that come to the surface as you are feeling the textures and experience of the physical form of your body.
At the end of the 5 minutes, write down the feelings that you experienced and the words that came up for you as your ran your hands over your body.
CURIOSITY
Use the following questions below and journal your answers. Continue with the same questions as week 1, and then add on the additional questions:
What did you feel right before looking in the mirror/at the photograph? Were you nervous, anxious, etc.? What did it feel like in your body?
What were you afraid of seeing?
When was the first time I heard these words from someone else?
Who taught me this way of thinking/that this body part shouldn’t look like this?
What am I making these parts of my body mean? (for example, if I think my thighs are big and disgusting - what does it mean if they ARE big and disgiusting?)
What was my energy/mindset like before I did this activity? (were you stressed out, tired, happy, joyful, etc.?)
What is a neutral thought I could have to replace the current thoughts I have? (ie. I think my thighs are big and disgusting -> I have thighs
As you touched your body, what thoughts floated to the surface?
Had anyone else said those words to you when they touched your body?
What areas did you struggle with touching compassionately/with kindness?
Did you witness anyone else struggle with kind touches to their body?
What do you EXPECT your body to feel like vs. what it ACTUALLY feels like?
If you had to describe your body to an alien who landed here on earth, how could you describe it? (remember, they don’t know about beauty standards, so they don’t know words like: ugly, gross, beautiful, pretty, etc.)
YOUR DAILY PRACTICE FOR THE WEEK:
Carve out 10-15 minutes in your day to do the 2 minutes of looking at yourself/looking at a photograph + 5 minutes of touching your body and give yourself a buffer of 3 - 8 minutes of curiosity time. You will want to do this daily. At the end of the week, look at your journal entries and see if there are any trends/patterns.
Feel free to use the comment section at the bottom of each week to let me know how you are making out/what you are noticing! Also, feel free to reach out to me on instagram and share your practices by tagging me @terihofford ! You are not in this alone!
