What are you feeling grateful for just now? It’s probably something you have to think about for a moment. Let’s face it, no one has “stuff I feel grateful for” sitting at the forefront of their brains! But today, 21st September, is World Gratitude Day, so we’re going to ask you to take some time to mull it over. Why, though? What’s the point? Well, because when you identify what you feel grateful for, you bring these things to the forefront of your mind. And that makes you feel positive. Which is good, yes?
Body gratitude
You might feel grateful for things, experiences, situations, and people. These are comparatively easy to identify. It’s less intuitive to look internally to express your gratitude. We think that one thing we should all show some gratitude to is our bodies. No matter how many wobbly bits you worry about, or in which ways it might be impaired, your body is amazing. So on this World Gratitude Day especially, show it some love!
How to be grateful
Of course, for body gratitude to make a difference to our body image, we need to do it for more than one day a year. Highlighting a celebration day simply gives an opportunity to chat about it. Since the double prong of media and society has well and truly messed up female body representation, it’s easy to see how gratitude may be a hard thing for most of us to muster. If that sounds like you, give some of these a go.
Write a list
This is the most straightforward thing you can do. Grab some paper and a pen, or even your iPhone notes app, and start a list of ways your body is good. Try to put yourself in a subjective mindset here. It might be aesthetic: you have a great curve from your boobs into your waist. Or it might be practical: your body takes you to see amazing things by walking and travelling. Nothing is too small to add to the list!
Be adventurous
This is where you wear the dress, the swimsuit, the top. The one you bought but always felt a little nervous to wear. We’re shapewear purveyors, so naturally we’ll suggest that the best way to inject a little confidence to do this is by starting with a secure foundation. A control cami or control shorts are a great staple for your wardrobe.
Verbal affirmations
Say nice things about yourself out loud. Look in the mirror and give yourself compliments. It’s important that you do the out loud bit, even if you feel a bit silly. When you say things aloud, they’re validated in a way that thinking something just doesn’t achieve. So tell your reflection positive things: “your complexion is healthy”, or “your curves are desirable” just for ideas!
Daily journaling
Journaling is a great way to process your day and keep track of your mindset. So add a bit of body gratitude into your daily journal. If you habitually hate your arms, for example, add a line to express how your arms did something good. Perhaps they held a door open for someone else, or hugged your little one when they were sad.
Challenge yourself
When your body succeeds at something, the resulting sense of pride is great for self image. Which is all tied into body gratitude. So set your body little challenges. We don’t mean climb Mount Kilimanjaro (although if you fancy that, go for it!) Even the smallest challenge can help to grow your appreciation for your body. Balance on a log during a dog walk, maybe, or climb the escalator when you’d normally stand. Allow your body to show you what it’s capable of!
We don’t all have to think we’re the pinnacle of human excellence; a little humility is a wonderful thing. But your body does amazing things. So it is absolutely something to feel gratitude towards. Not just on World Gratitude Day, but every day!
Becky is a content manager who writes informed industry based articles for businesses and consumers. She’s written for Elle Courbee on women’s issues and fashion for a number of years.
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