Body positivity has become a much-needed cultural trend to counter the prevailing uber-thin-body ideal. Yet these well-meaning messages—“Love yourself at any size!”, “You are beautiful!”, “Celebrate your curves!”—can be vague, overly simplistic, and unhelpful in real life.
How can one simply go from decades of self-criticism or self-loathing to self-love without any practical support and guidance?
According to some experts, the missing piece in better body acceptance is another trending buzzword: mindfulness.
Mindfulness is a state of active awareness of the present. When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them as good or bad. Mindfulness means living in the moment, developing a greater connection to the human experience.
Tackling the Inner Critic
The mental habits you form over your lifetime—good or bad—create patterns or neural pathways in the brain, according to neuroscientists. If you’ve been critical of yourself for many years, these patterns can be entrenched and tough to break—but it’s possible, with practice and effort.
Being mindful can help us become more aware of this self-hating inner commentary and change our self-perception as we change these bad habits, says Alena Gerst, a mind-body focused psychotherapist in New York.
“One of the prime ways that mindfulness can be used to improve positive body mindset is to notice how you speak to yourself,” said Gerst.
