Many of us have probably set New Years' Resolutions in the past, and odds are likely (at times) they have centered around changing our weight or bodies. For work this week, I was motivated to lead a body image group facilitating a discussion on just this topic and how to change the narrative for our New Year goals....and luckily, I stumbled upon a website that immediately gave me inspiration. If you're curious to check out the original post, here's a link to the Ravishly Article , but I also thought I would share the author's affirmations that I provided with my clients today. (I also purposefully changed the word Resolutions to Intentions, as that resonates with me more....but feel free to use whatever works best for you).
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Fifty options for new year’s intentions that are actually centered on taking care of your body.
1. I will avoid stepping on a scale, because that number tells me nothing about my health or my happiness.
2. In fact, maybe some day this year, I’ll throw my scale out completely (or smash it to bits — which I have to admit looks like fun).
3. Okay, okay. I’ll cut up my measuring tape, too — or at least move it to my sewing kit, where it’s actually useful.
4. I’ll eat in ways that feel good to me, noting that sometimes these ways include ice cream.
5. I’ll stop associating my self-worth with how “good” or “healthy” or “raw” or whatever I ate the day before was.
6. I will remove words like “sinful” and “gluttonous” from my vocabulary, unless I’m actually talking about mistakes of Biblical proportions and not food.
7. I will order dessert when I want to — not because I feel like I have to or because I feel like I can’t.
8. I will remind my friends that they can do the same.
9. I will also try to remind my friends that if you want a regular soda, you can have one
10. I will never, ever talk negatively about food or bodies (including my own) in front of children — and I won’t let others in my presence do so, either.
11. Instead of using my body as a site for comparison (a la “If you think you look huge, I must be a whale”), I’ll use it as a source of inspiration: “I feel great about my body. You can, too.”
12. I will go through all of my closets and drawers and take out every article of clothing that does not fit my current body - and maybe I’ll donate them to charity.
13. Maybe I’ll even just take out every bit of clothing that I just don’t wear and donate it all — because no one needs a closet full of clothes that don’t make them feel awesome.
14. I will only sign up for a gym membership if that type of movement truly speaks to me on a spiritual level.
15. Otherwise, I will find ways of moving my body that feel emotionally satisfying to me, beyond the endorphin rush associated with any and all exertion of physical energy.
16. I will listen to my body when it tells me it’s time to rest and recuperate — yes, even if working out is on my to-do list.
17. In fact, I’ll start listening to my body so fully that I’ll even take more mental health days off of work if that’s accessible to me financially.
18. And if it’s not, I can at least attempt to get more sleep — or to try to make sure that the sleep that I do get (I’m looking at you, parents) is more restful.
19. When I catch myself saying negative things about my body, I’ll counteract them with positive messages.
20. I’ll only tell myself positive things that I actually believe. No one benefits from “positive thinking” that’s forced. If all I can say for sure today is that I really, really like the color that my toes are painted, then that’ll be my compliment of the day to me.
21. I’ll cultivate more gratitude toward my body and the ways in which it gets me through the day (hello, lungs! thank you for breathing!).
22. I will keep in mind that the goal of body positivity shouldn’t make me feel pressured. And if it does, then maybe I should go for body neutrality instead.
23. I will prioritize body acceptance, if not full-out, unconditional body love.
24. (Maybe I’ll try again for full-out, unconditional body love next year.)
25. I will stop engaging in media that makes me feel bad about my body. I’ll cancel my subscription to Vogue, stop following that one Tumblr that posts thinspo sometimes, and maybe remove a few beauty bloggers from my Instagram feed.
26. I will not put other people down based on the clothes that they wear or the bodies that they have.
27. When my friends put other people down based on the clothes that they wear or the bodies that they have, I’ll speak up.
28. I’ll consider the ways in which social injustices (like sexism and racism, for instance) contribute to narrow beauty standards.
29. I’ll even consider the ways in which those social injustices and narrow beauty standards hurt some people more than others.
30. And I’ll remember my positionality within that when I can, recognizing that this kind of consciousness takes practice.
31. I’ll engage in intimacy I’m comfortable with.
32. I’ll explore my body more on my own.
33. Maybe I’ll let others explore my body more, too.
34. I’ll remember to tell my partner(s) how beautiful they are to me. Because everyone needs a reminder sometimes.
35. When someone compliments me, instead of deflecting the comment (“Psssh, I’m having a terrible hair day!”), I’ll just say, “Thank you.”
36. I’ll wear what I want because I like it.
37. I’ll drink more water. (Who doesn’t need to drink more water?)
38. I’ll let my friends choose what they want to do with their own bodies, but I’ll remind them please not to talk about their diets and fitness plans with me.
39. If it makes me smile, I’ll hang affirmations on my mirrors — maybe just something as simple as “You are enough.”
40. I’ll cook more. Because having a hands-on, healthy relationship with the food that I eat is important.
41. I’ll also eat out more, if that’s accessible to me, because good food, good friends, and good times are worthwhile.
42. I’ll try new ways of taking care of my body — from trying a chiropractor to acupuncture or massage — remembering that many places have sliding scale fees.
43. I’ll begin the process of unlearning the anti-fat bias that has seeped into my consciousness from a cruel and unjust society.
44. I’ll take deep breaths more often.
45. I’ll stop believing that treating myself to fancy new makeup or sweet-smelling new bath products is always a poor use of money.
46. In the summertime, I will buy, wear, and perhaps even flaunt a swimsuit that makes me feel gorgeous and more alive.
47. Perhaps I’ll even leave the towel behind, rather than staying wrapped up and hidden.
48. I’ll make peace with the demons that have grown inside of me over the years, quieting them, at least, into whispers instead of screams.
49. I will remember that my body is a vessel that carries me through this life — and that it deserves my care.
50. And after a year of working on myself, maybe I can pass these ideas onto others, starting a domino effect that can change the world.
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