An Open Letter To My Body

body journey

How many of you have struggled with your relationship with your body? I would be willing to guess many people would say YES. I’ve had a long battle with body image, self-worth, and confidence. One thing that has helped me is to start thanking my body instead of talking negatively to it. I started this letter a year ago, and finishing it now – it still rings true. I hope this letter helps you to see your own body for the beautiful, wonderful vessel of life it is. You deserve to love and treat your body with respect. Treat it well, and your mind and spirit will benefit as well.

An open letter to my body:

Dear body,

First, let me say THANK YOU!🖤

Like most humans, our relationship has been a long and tough journey to love and acceptance. I am with you forever, and the sooner we are in loving harmony – the better off we will be.

Looking in the mirror at my scars, my rolls, my aches, and pains – they used to make me feel frustrated, disgusted, unloved. Society told me that I should be at war with you. That I should try to change you. To fit a mold of what magazine covers and television shows and social media told me was beautiful.

That is until I started to nourish my body – protect you and love you. I began to accept you as you are without judgment or negative self-talk. You are beautiful in any way you show up in this world.

growing to love you

Going vegan, my relationship with food improved drastically, which helped to nurture our relationship – the relationship of body and mind. It made me realize that what I eat will either fuel you and serve you or bring you down. Eating food that was nourishing made my mind and body feel strong, healthy, proud.

Then I started thanking you for all you do for me. My “imperfections” matter much less to me now. I’m still working on accepting you fully, and that is okay.

I want to do the best job I can to take care of the body that takes care of me. Thank you for taking care of me. I want to continue to grow and learn how to better serve you.

You carry me

The body is an incredible vessel that helps us experience life. You carry my soul to many beautiful places. You take the wear and tear I put on you from walking through fields barefooted, sleeping in tents so I can wake up to beautiful sunsets, long nights that turned into early mornings spent indulging life with my friends and family.

You rejuvenate yourself every night so I can wake up and take on the next day. Time and time again.

I paint you. Scrape you. Hit you against every corner in my home (I’m sorry I’m so clumsy!) My mind and my anxiety cause you to react. To feel things that put you on edge and in survival mode. We’ve been in survival mode for a long time and it feels good when I wake up in the morning and you have recovered even if my mind has not.

I don’t always tell you, but thank you, body, for resting and resetting for the day ahead. For wearing my history. For wearing clothes that make me feel like me. For continuing on when I feel like my mind cannot.

I wouldn’t be me without you.
And I love you as you are.✨