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Article: Your Body is Not a Work of Art
Author: Alison Finch, Founder and Creator of www.selfesteem4women.com
"Your body is not a work of art" is a true statement. So why do so many people, and women in particular but men too, spend countless hours wishing that theirs was one and even more hours feeling angry, embarrassed and even ashamed of their bodies because they fail to live up to the images in their minds?
The answer is obvious, isn't it? Beautiful bodies get lots of positive attention, which is great for the ego and for generating feelings of self-worth. It's a fact that women with "gorgeous" bodies are in great demand with virtually all cultures throughout the world and throughout time. Yes, the media-revolution has created an unprecedented explosion in demand for gorgeous bodies but it's not a new phenomenon.
So if your body doesn't quite fit into the category of "absolutely gorgeous", how can you possibly feel good about it?
If you want to feel good about your body then you need to start seeing it for what it really is. Not a work of art. Not a two-dimensional picture stuck on a wall for everyone to walk past and make whimsical judgements about. Not a statue that can be ignored, defiled, neglected or ridiculed. No, our bodies are none of those things.
Our bodies are amazingly complex life-forms that allow us to live, breathe, see, taste, smell, touch, feel, walk, jump, swim, hug, write, draw, eat, laugh, play and so on. And even if you're suffering from a disability or ill-health that prevents you from doing some of these things it doesn't mean that I am wrong, because your body is still doing many of these things. Pictures and statues can't do ANY of them.
So if you've decided that you hate your body because you are disappointed with the way it's turned out then you're being very superficial, aren't you? Yes, YOU are being superficial. You can blame glossy magazines all you want for pumping thousands of perfectly-manipulated beautiful images of women and men into our society but if you succumb to hating your own body simply because you don't like the way it looks then you are causing your own misery.
Your body is a sophisticated and unique entity that should be judged in its entirety not just by the size of its chest or the shape of its nose. If you are prepared to open your mind to the real value of your body then you can't fail to notice that it is actually very special indeed.
Here are some facts about YOUR body that are worth absorbing:
Your body uses ten different systems, which work as separate entities but depend on each other for physical and biochemical support, resulting in a true functioning co-operative. These are muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine, immune, urinary, digestive, respiratory and reproductive systems. And these systems keep working on your behalf 24/7.
The little patch of skin situated in-between your eyebrows contains over six million cells, 26 oil glands, 20 hairs, 100 sweat glands, three metres of nerves, one metre of blood vessels and thousands of sensory cells. Picture that if you can!
And here's another fact to blow your mind: your brain has around 12 BILLION nerve cells!
Wow, isn't YOUR body amazing? Doesn't it deserve a bit of respect? So what if you have a few stretch-marks or you?re a bit hairier than you'd like to be? Your body is still fabulous and there is an awful lot that you can DO with it that is fun and pleasurable.
If you have a negative chatterbox inside your head that drones on day-after-day, spouting destructive and superficial criticisms of your body, then maybe now is the time to tell it to shut up and stop being so unfair. Let's be radical and simply stop listening to it so that we can all start living in harmony with our own bodies AND other people's bodies too. Let's be radical and simply stop listening to it so that we can all start living in harmony with our own bodies AND other people's bodies too. If you're up for this challenge then please read the tips that I've listed below and try implementing a few of them over the next couple of weeks.
tip one: Stop comparing and competing with other people because it is a fruitless activity, which I can guarantee will lower your self-worth. Accept instead that every body and every face is different and there will always be people in the world who are more beautiful than you and some who are less.
tip two: Select four activities from the list below and find an opportunity sometime over the next two weeks to focus on doing them well.
a) Practise some deep breathing exercises.
b) Cook a fabulous meal and eat it slowly, savouring each mouthful.
c) Go into your bedroom on your own and be silly for five minutes. Jump around, wiggle your arms and legs, roll on the bed and laugh at how ridiculous you'd feel if someone could see you doing it!
d) Find three things that you enjoy touching and spend a few moments relishing the feel of them. Maybe a flower, a piece of silk, a smooth pebble, a cat or a dog etc.
e) If you're not in the habit of exercise pick an activity that makes you feel a little bit out of breath. An obvious one could be to run up and down the stairs a few times. If you are in the habit of exercising then discipline yourself not to concentrate on the way you look but how you actually feel when you are exercising.
tip three: Recognise that we are all capable of expressing beauty though our actions. Think of statements like: her face lit up, he has a twinkle in her eye, she moves so gracefully, he's so vibrant and full of energy, she has a cheeky little grin, he always stands tall and proud, her eyes are always warm and inviting, he looks as if he's enjoying life, she has a lovely touch, he gives the best hugs ever, they make me feel wanted and secure. Remember, a fit body alone is not enough to turn most people on and vanity can actually be a big turn off!
Now find some words of your own that you can focus on to encourage you express the beauty that exists within your body.
tip four: Write something positive about your body and don't feel ashamed of liking it. It's OK to celebrate your bodily openly so why not start today!
This article is copyright protected: ? 2003-2005 Ibex Management Limited. No part of this article may be modified or re-printed in any way without prior consent.
Alison Finch is the Founder and Creator of Selfesteem4women.com, which has become the number 1 most popular self-esteem site on the Internet. Since 2004, she has reached out to over 150,000 women from over 90 countries and provided the much needed help to boost their self-esteem and in many cases overcome jealous feelings that are associated with it. Her unique approach to building self-esteem is refreshingly different and has a twelve-year proven track record of success.
Source: www.selfesteem4women.com
Author: Alison Finch, Founder and Creator of www.selfesteem4women.com
"Your body is not a work of art" is a true statement. So why do so many people, and women in particular but men too, spend countless hours wishing that theirs was one and even more hours feeling angry, embarrassed and even ashamed of their bodies because they fail to live up to the images in their minds?
The answer is obvious, isn't it? Beautiful bodies get lots of positive attention, which is great for the ego and for generating feelings of self-worth. It's a fact that women with "gorgeous" bodies are in great demand with virtually all cultures throughout the world and throughout time. Yes, the media-revolution has created an unprecedented explosion in demand for gorgeous bodies but it's not a new phenomenon.
So if your body doesn't quite fit into the category of "absolutely gorgeous", how can you possibly feel good about it?
If you want to feel good about your body then you need to start seeing it for what it really is. Not a work of art. Not a two-dimensional picture stuck on a wall for everyone to walk past and make whimsical judgements about. Not a statue that can be ignored, defiled, neglected or ridiculed. No, our bodies are none of those things.
Our bodies are amazingly complex life-forms that allow us to live, breathe, see, taste, smell, touch, feel, walk, jump, swim, hug, write, draw, eat, laugh, play and so on. And even if you're suffering from a disability or ill-health that prevents you from doing some of these things it doesn't mean that I am wrong, because your body is still doing many of these things. Pictures and statues can't do ANY of them.
So if you've decided that you hate your body because you are disappointed with the way it's turned out then you're being very superficial, aren't you? Yes, YOU are being superficial. You can blame glossy magazines all you want for pumping thousands of perfectly-manipulated beautiful images of women and men into our society but if you succumb to hating your own body simply because you don't like the way it looks then you are causing your own misery.
Your body is a sophisticated and unique entity that should be judged in its entirety not just by the size of its chest or the shape of its nose. If you are prepared to open your mind to the real value of your body then you can't fail to notice that it is actually very special indeed.
Here are some facts about YOUR body that are worth absorbing:
Your body uses ten different systems, which work as separate entities but depend on each other for physical and biochemical support, resulting in a true functioning co-operative. These are muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine, immune, urinary, digestive, respiratory and reproductive systems. And these systems keep working on your behalf 24/7.
The little patch of skin situated in-between your eyebrows contains over six million cells, 26 oil glands, 20 hairs, 100 sweat glands, three metres of nerves, one metre of blood vessels and thousands of sensory cells. Picture that if you can!
And here's another fact to blow your mind: your brain has around 12 BILLION nerve cells!
Wow, isn't YOUR body amazing? Doesn't it deserve a bit of respect? So what if you have a few stretch-marks or you?re a bit hairier than you'd like to be? Your body is still fabulous and there is an awful lot that you can DO with it that is fun and pleasurable.
If you have a negative chatterbox inside your head that drones on day-after-day, spouting destructive and superficial criticisms of your body, then maybe now is the time to tell it to shut up and stop being so unfair. Let's be radical and simply stop listening to it so that we can all start living in harmony with our own bodies AND other people's bodies too. Let's be radical and simply stop listening to it so that we can all start living in harmony with our own bodies AND other people's bodies too. If you're up for this challenge then please read the tips that I've listed below and try implementing a few of them over the next couple of weeks.
tip one: Stop comparing and competing with other people because it is a fruitless activity, which I can guarantee will lower your self-worth. Accept instead that every body and every face is different and there will always be people in the world who are more beautiful than you and some who are less.
tip two: Select four activities from the list below and find an opportunity sometime over the next two weeks to focus on doing them well.
a) Practise some deep breathing exercises.
b) Cook a fabulous meal and eat it slowly, savouring each mouthful.
c) Go into your bedroom on your own and be silly for five minutes. Jump around, wiggle your arms and legs, roll on the bed and laugh at how ridiculous you'd feel if someone could see you doing it!
d) Find three things that you enjoy touching and spend a few moments relishing the feel of them. Maybe a flower, a piece of silk, a smooth pebble, a cat or a dog etc.
e) If you're not in the habit of exercise pick an activity that makes you feel a little bit out of breath. An obvious one could be to run up and down the stairs a few times. If you are in the habit of exercising then discipline yourself not to concentrate on the way you look but how you actually feel when you are exercising.
tip three: Recognise that we are all capable of expressing beauty though our actions. Think of statements like: her face lit up, he has a twinkle in her eye, she moves so gracefully, he's so vibrant and full of energy, she has a cheeky little grin, he always stands tall and proud, her eyes are always warm and inviting, he looks as if he's enjoying life, she has a lovely touch, he gives the best hugs ever, they make me feel wanted and secure. Remember, a fit body alone is not enough to turn most people on and vanity can actually be a big turn off!
Now find some words of your own that you can focus on to encourage you express the beauty that exists within your body.
tip four: Write something positive about your body and don't feel ashamed of liking it. It's OK to celebrate your bodily openly so why not start today!
This article is copyright protected: ? 2003-2005 Ibex Management Limited. No part of this article may be modified or re-printed in any way without prior consent.
Alison Finch is the Founder and Creator of Selfesteem4women.com, which has become the number 1 most popular self-esteem site on the Internet. Since 2004, she has reached out to over 150,000 women from over 90 countries and provided the much needed help to boost their self-esteem and in many cases overcome jealous feelings that are associated with it. Her unique approach to building self-esteem is refreshingly different and has a twelve-year proven track record of success.
Source: www.selfesteem4women.com
