Making Peace With Your Body

~ Guest Writer, Niki Svara ~

A true feeling of peace doesn’t come from
the absence of things you don’t like.
It comes from the absence of judgment
toward the things you don’t like.
See where I’m going with this?
Love,
your body

Excerpt from Piece Talks: Messages of Love from your Body and Soul, Available on Amazon

When it comes to our bodies, it can be frustrating, painful, angering, and sometimes depressing when we don’t look or feel the way we want to. And, when our clothes don’t fit quite right- that’s the worst!

It’s natural to think we’ll feel better when “the thing” that’s bothering us changes.

It makes sense. It’s also what most of us have been taught from a very young age. I’m sure you’ve heard it said many times: “If you don’t like something, change it.” Do something about it. The fundamental idea is, “I need to fix this, so I can feel better.” And, we all want to feel better. Don’t we?

But what if we can’t change the thing that’s bothering us?

Or, if we do make a change, what if we can’t maintain it? These questions point to a simple truth: When we make our happiness and peace of mind dependent on conditions and expectations, we are inevitably setting ourselves up for disappointment.

Now, I have good news and EVEN BETTER news!

The good news is, when you really think about it, whatever we don’t like about our bodies is NOT the cause of our upset. What causes us to feel frustrated, sad, angry, and depressed is our judgments toward the things that displease us about the way we look, our health, or a particular body part. This is good news because it means that we don’t have to change our bodies in some way before we can feel happy and at peace with ourselves.

The even better news is that we DO have the ability to learn how to let go of our judgments and feel joyfully at peace with our bodies RIGHT NOW, even if nothing on the outside has changed.

Letting go of our judgments toward our bodies (or anything else in life) may not be the easiest thing to do, but it is absolutely possible for each and every one of us. It begins with a simple willingness to try. When you are willing, you are ready.

There are many ways to let go of judgments and self-criticism, and what works for one person might not work for another.

The pathway to peace is a very personal journey.

One way you can move in the direction of making peace with your body is to change the self-critical “conversation” in your head, by way of how you relate with your body. In my work with clients, I encourage the development of empathy, imagining what your body would say if it could actually talk to you.

With this kind of “body talk” in mind, I wrote a book called Piece Talks: Messages of Love from your Body and Soul. Piece Talks is a compilation of short, inspirational messages written from the perspective of your body and soul (or Self). As you read these little “love notes,” you’ll begin to relate to yourself and your body in a new way – with more compassion, love, peace, and acceptance.

 Yes, making peace with your body, even if nothing on the outside changes, IS possible to achieve.

Let patience fill your being. Remember to be gentle with yourself as you journey forward into the consciousness of love and healing. And, know that you deserve to feel the light of your own love and the peace of your own acceptance.

With much Love.