As those of you who are regular readers of Beautiful You will know I have been championing the global movement ‘Endangered Species: Preserving the Female Body’ since the beginning of the year. The culmination of Australia’s participation is taking place this Thursday March 10th. Please join me for a wonderfully positive day – there are still tickets available here.
When I called for submissions outlining ideas on how we could become a more ‘body positive’ Australia I received a wonderful email reply from Michelle McGrath of Sacred Self. Michelle has kindly agreed to let me post her response and she has also given me a deck of her divine ‘Self Love Cards’ to giveaway to Beautiful You Members. Read on to learn how to enter and enjoy Michelle’s wonderful words below.
“The biggest challenge with body image is promoting behavioural change within society. It has to be a continual influx of daily reminders and subliminal messages that we are bombarded by with so that little-by-little we change our thoughts, beliefs, words actions. Let’s all encourage a cultural shift and involve the media, advertising industry, health and educational sectors. Let’s work together to focus and promote messages about what is beautiful and unique about each one of us, in all our shapes, sizes, nationalities and creeds. This could and will create a huge shift in consciousness. If it can work in a negative way (as it currently does), then it could certainly work in a positive way by shifting the focus to put more attention on celebrating the diversity of all human beings, and respecting our differences.
What is most important is encouraging what we have in common so that we can come together in unity. We all want to be loved and we all want to be accepted for who we are. We look externally for validation and are never satisfied. Who can honestly say they feel better about themselves by flicking through the pages of a glossy magazine?
I strongly believe it should be mandatory for the media to state when something has been manipulated and airbrushed. It’s just irresponsible to let readers imagine that people really look that way. Even worse, to imply that you too can look like that too by merely using a particular eye-shadow or skin care range. Here’s an even more radical idea – how about no airbrushing? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if one of our women’s magazines could be a pioneer for the industry, and say ‘ok enough, we will no longer use airbrushing AT ALL in our magazine’. We will commit to using models who are a realistic representation of the variety of shapes and sizes that exist and be authentic. We will make it a part of our mission to inspire and uplift women to embrace their inner beauty. Can you imagine how empowering and exciting that would be?
Let’s create programs with health departments that positively encourage self-love and self-acceptance and collaborate
with schools and universities. Let’s teach meditation, stress-relief techniques and health and wellbeing programs in all schools. I’m certain that many programs would be supported by wonderful health practitioners. Who could say no to being involved in supporting such a cultural change and encouraging positive self-esteem programs on a wide scale?
What I am saying is nothing new but it has to start by encouraging positive self-esteem programs in schools and educational institutions.
If we could learn these important life skills from a young age and teach programs that promote self-love and acceptance, then maybe we could prevent or decrease the rising statistics of health issues such as eating disorders, depression and suicide. Would it not be more beneficial for governments to focus and invest in the healthy prevention of these issues, rather than the billions spent on pharmaceutical drugs and medical bills? Let’s create something new together here in Australia and inspire everyone’s upliftment – let’s create a world of self-love and acceptance and be role models for the rest of the world.”
What can I say Michelle? Your words are filled with such wisdom and I so appreciate all the time and effort you have gone to contribute. You already make the world a more body positive place by all of the amazing things you do through Sacred Self. Thank you also for sharing with us your latest product which is the beautiful self love cards pictured above. To be in the running to win this deck of inspirational cards worth $22.00 leave a comment for me below telling me how you try to bring more self love into your life every day. Entry is open to all Beautiful You Members. It’s free to join and comments can be made up until March 17th with the winner announced here and in the March 18th Beautiful You newsletter.
{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }
I bring more self love into my life everyday by focusing on my good qualities such as my loving heart and smile! Also complementing others as I love to see people shine and feel great about themselves! Thank you for your blog Beautiful You, you make the world a better, happier place!
Thanks Princess! I’m glad you like Beautiful You – keep smiling….
I bring more love into my life by waking up. I have bipolar disorder which is being really cruel to me at the moment however, getting up and going to work is a grateful way I show myself that my life is worth it. I also ensure that I wear colour. I deserve to wear colour. Even when I wear black, it is accessorised with colour I deserve to have fun with fashion even at a size 26-28 US. Thank goodness for overseas designers because the Aussie ones haven’t caught up yet. Many people comment on my colourful dress (not outrageous just not the typical black and grey that is worn in the office). Many people say that they want to lose weight before they experiment with colour. My response, I am fat in colour but I am fat in black so why not allow myself to wear something that is beautiful and brings colour and life into my life. I need colour sometimes to contrast a dark mood or colour to express my overwhelming joy but I deserve to wear it. I look great in it and if people notice me that isn’t a bad thing. I have always loved being the centre of attention
Tarnya – Yay for you! I love wearing colour too although I must admit that with black being very much the ‘chic’ colour of Melbourne I often turn to it in winter especially. Keep being bright!
Hi,
Self love and self acceptance has been a challenge for me over the years. I always tried to be someone I wasn’t to ‘fit’ in. Since the birth of my daughter 4 years ago I found myself looking into these issues further as it was important to me to establish what I wanted to teach her about self love and accepting herself just as she is. So, it began simply with me stopping changing how I looked with the use of straightening irons for eg. I have extremely curly hair and for over 10 years had straightened my hair to look differently and be someone I was not. My precious little girl was born with gorgeous curls and I didn’t want her changing herself so I dumped the irons and accepted my curls were who I am. I know it sounds silly but it was empowering for me to accept myself exactly how God intended. The straightening of my hair was more a symbol of me not accepting myself as is rather than an issue with hair if you know what I mean. From there I began to accept myself and love myself in every way inside and out and this I hope to pass onto my little girl.
Love and Light
Anna
Thanks Anna. It can be those really little things like accepting the naturalness of our hair that can make such a big difference in our lives – and the lives of others too.
I bring more love into my life,by living each day to the fullest,even on mt bad days with my Fibromyalgia,i just simply surround myself in the objects or pl i love most.I like to share my positive outlook and my spirit to other and lrt them know life is worht living and never give up.Focus on ur blessings and celebrate yourself and the things that make you happy .Reach out and spread the love you have inside and see that it flows like and infection one by one <3 Life is truly beautiful * Be Your own kind of beautiful* is my motto and i do just that!
Muah i love you all…….
Thankyou Shelley – Living life to the full is a great way to practise self love.
I smile at myself in the mirror. Too often I catch myself frowning and being critical of myself when I look in the mirror. If I smile, that goes away. So I SMILE BIG.
Great Melissa! Keep on smiling!
How I try to bring self love into my life is to consciously do something every day that brings me pleasure in some way. It can be physical, mental or just some tasty food I’ve been craving.
Of course we can shift people’s perception of what normal and ideal is! If you want scientific-type proof, there have been studies about shifting body image ratings up and down with images of smaller and larger bodies. ( http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.20640/abstract )
Doing something pleasureful every day is a great idea Jak. Little things add up!
How I bring self love in my everyday life? By reminding me everyday what my objectives are: I want to write, I want to be a writer. I am currently working as a French teacher (and I love it, by the way), and as I am really busy with travelling from one company to another and planning classes, I could easily forget why I decided to quit university… even though it’s just 2 months ago.
I choose to think about writing everyday, and to take at least one step in the process when I have some free time between classes: Writing poems or a part of my novel project in my notebook, writing on my blog, writing poetry on Twitter, reading helpful stuff for novel, reading literature and being attentive to how it’s written, typing texts, etc. It already feels like I am a writer (am I not one?)… and I love it (and myself) so much when I get caught up in the process, enjoying it for what it is, not merely for the results.
Oh, and I do love myself when I’m merely thinking about results too
Hey Aimee – Of course you are a writer! Anytime you think you might like to write something to share or inspire others with here at Beautiful You – let me know.
I’ve come acrossed this entry and it moved me. You know it is sometimes true that women who are gifted with beauty and body are the most insecure ones. Perhaps if we all only see, appreciate and always remember our self-worth, no ultra thin model or glossed-up star will make us doubt our beauty.
Hi Kiera – It is moving isn’t it? I am still in awe of Michelle putting in so much thought to promoting a more body positive culture for us all.
There really needs to be a shift in the media, fashion, movie, and TV industries. When they started selling thongs for 6-yr olds I thought we’d hit rock bottom, but now we have anti-aging make-up for little girls – Ugh!
I practice self-love by not looking at the air-brushed/photo-shopped magazines and, instead of critiquing myself, I look for the things that I like about myself.
Katie – I know! Some of the things out there marketed to girls really scares me. Thank goodness we are building up a worldwide community of people who are aware though and trying to push back about it.
Keep debating! This is such an important topic and we need to open up dialogue and talk about it as much as we possibly can.
I love everyone’s comments. It’s great to hear all these lovely things that people do to nurture themselves and the increasing awareness that exists about promoting positive self-esteem and body love. Very uplifting and encouraging mxxx
They are great aren’t they Michelle! And so are you for offering us this post and giveaway. Thankyou!
Lately I’ve been trying to remind myself that “I am fundamentally good” in order to remember to be a little kinder to myself and less self-critical. I also eat intuitively now, which means I’ve come a looong way from all those years of dieting and trying to starve myself.
Hi Stephanie – That’s a great reminder indeed. One we should all remember!
I bring self-love into my life by wearing colourful clothes (which always cheer me up) and by having a photo of myself as a child on my fridge. I look at the picture and remind myself to treat myself as I would a child- gently, with compassion, nurturing.
I love the idea of that picture on the fridge Bek. Thanks for sharing!
Michelle, these are such beautiful, uplifting words. If only the rest of the world shared these views, then we could all enjoy peaceful, body beautiful lives, free from unnecessary external pressures.
I put my whole being, every day, into maintaining belief and faith in myself and my body. I do this by eating delicious, organic, freshly prepared foods which make me feel warm and fuzzy from the inside, and ensuring that each day includes a little bit of physical exertion to keep my blood pumping, and remind me of how alive I am. I correct myself when I am critical of my mind and body, believing that changing my thought patterns will instill this habit in my mind forevermore. And aside from all of this, I wholly give myself to the world around me, to my friends, family and colleagues, and encourage a positive outlook on life as often as possible.
We only have one life. It is too short to worry about things that we cannot change.
Keep up the inspiring work Julie!
“We only have one life.” So true Monica. May each of us remember that every day.
Everyday brings a new day,within that new day I create as much positivity around me as possible.
We are all beautiful in our own right.
I have many negative people around me at the moment but rather than cleanse myself of these people as I have been told to do I feel it is my duty to uplift them & put some good back into their lives.This makes me feel so much better within myself.
I also have many affirmation plaques around my home that I have either bought,been given as gifts or made them myself that I read daily & take on as my train of thought. My favourite at the moment is “Don’t count the days-make the days count.”
Sue-Ellen – Surrounding yourself with positive words is a great way to constantly remind ourselves to self love. Thanks for dropping by.
I try to bring more self-love into my life by taking a few moments every morning to be quiet and still before I start the hustle and bustle of the day. It’s not a lot of time, but even 5 minutes of purposeful peace can keep me grounded throughout the day!
Your newsletter is absolutely beautiful, by the way!
Hi Katie – Gosh that sounds so peaceful and such a brilliant thing to do. Might steal that!
How do i try to bring more self love into my life every day….Following lovely people on twitter! They remind me to love my body just as it is, motivate me to exercise for health and to eat wonderful foods! xx
Great idea Abbey! There are certainly some amazing people on Twitter.
I bring more self love into my life by using positive affirmations, meditations & healing with various different gem stones & crystals. I have a condition called connetive tisue disorder so have had health problems my whole life, as well as problems with my skin hair & nails. My schooling life was a living hell & I was bullied pretty much all day every day…I never had parental support (& still don’t) even to this day I get not nice comments from some people. I know that I am a good kind person . I also am learning to look in the mirror & say to the person looking back “I love you” & “you are good enough”.
Meg – They are all amazing suggestions. Keep up the positive work on loving you. You are worth it.
Hi I have a calendar booklet of affirmations which I use each day.
I also started exercising 5 years ago with a personal trainer ( I knew I
would make excuses about going to the gym) this was the best idea I
have ever followed. Today we are friends and work out twice a week, I recently went on holidays for 3 weeks and missed our sessions so much.
I also eat good foods and greet each day with a positive, grateful, loving attitude to all whom I meet.
Each one of us is very special, we are one of a kind so love yourself. ♥♥♥
“Each one of us is special” – including you Lindy! Thank you.
Our bodies are the vehicles we, as spiritual beings are using to move through this part of the journey. I try to remind Self that when I slip into judgement. The True Being is wrapped in that which we see. Just look a little deeper than the wrapping. Blessings To All
Thanks Bronwen – I love the suggestion to always look a little deeper than the wrapping. So true.
I dropped a dozen dress sizes OVERNIGHT? I ‘let go’ of all the clothes that didn’t fit.
I tried on all my clothes regardless of size and focused on “what makes me look sensational’?
I ditched the clothes designed for women, and kept clothes that would celebrate me
I decided to wear what flattered me and not the mannequins in the window
All else I dropped in the charity bin – and thats how I dropped a dozen dress sizes overnight.
Good for you Tiffany!
My heart has spoken to me often – Forgive. I have grown to become my harshest critic, learned behaviours which create within me a cruel self-love foe – and I have developed the skill of self -sabotage. There are times when I believe holding on to feelings of resentment or judgment feel safer, than revealing to others, the woman I was born to BE. If I were to become a little thinner, a little less wrinkled, a little more committed to making ‘some’ change in my life – would I become more willing to forgive myself then?
All the above posts share beautiful and heartfelt ways to nuture our souls – but for me – the true value of these self-love strategies remained hidden until I acknowledged I had become my harshest critic and called forth the courage to simply say – “Wendy I am sorry, for viewing you(myself) in such an unloving way” ~ Each time I forgive, my heart opens and by opening my heart to love, I find the strength to live life to MY full potential. The power to hurt ME dissapates and simply fades away~
Thanks for sharing that Wendy. Forgiveness is indeed incredibly powerful.
I am glad I found this site – I would love to win the deck, but I am also loving what I read here.
<3
peace, love & light
Thanks Cee Cee – I look forward to you dropping by regularly.
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