November is all about gratitude and Thanksgiving. We have gratitude challenges happening on Facebook, jars to be filled with thoughts of gratitude in our homes, and if you are like me, you’re preaching to your kids “think about the poor children around the world who have nothing, be grateful for a roof over your head, shoes on your feet and food to eat!”
The point is this – November is a time us moms try to practice and preach the importance of giving thanks and having gratitude.
But when it comes to ourselves, do we really slow down and give intentional thanks and gratitude for this body we have?
The truth is, with the pressures women have to fit an ideal image — either pre-baby, during baby, post baby or beyond – the answer is probably no.
You probably spend more hours a week breaking yourself down for not being thin enough, fit enough, or curvy enough to meet society’s expectations. You compare yourself to every other mom on the playground or in the grocery store and think “if I only had her legs, arms, stomach or chest, I would be so much happier.”
In both my professional and personal experience, I know that practicing gratitude on a regular basis causes powerful shifts in day-to-day life. As we enter into the holiday season, I invite you to carve out time to practice gratitude for your perfectly imperfect body … and invite the other women in your family to do the same.
Now, I don’t want you to roll your eyes and say oh yeah I’m so grateful for these hips I have in these legs and however else you tear yourself apart. Sorry ladies, gratitude is not practiced and shifts are not made with eye rolls and sly comments about the God-given body you were blessed with.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving and the holiday season, find ways to celebrate and give thanks for ALL your body has done and can do for you.
Here are a few ways to get started …
Today I am thankful for:
- Legs that have walked to explore the world around me
- Eyes that have seen the beauty of a sunrise and the awe of a sunset
- Taste buds that have enjoyed food while creating family memories
- Hands that have helped others when they could not help themselves
- A heart that has felt love and compassion
- A mind that has thought for itself
- A brain that has achieved that training certificate, diploma, or advanced degree
- A nose that has taken in the aroma of kids that need a bath
- Ears that hear “MOM” twenty times a day
- Hips that have served as a shelf to hold a little one while multitasking
- Arms that have rocked a baby to sleep
- Scars from my past and warrior marks that are a trophy of how strong I really am
And if your body has failed you maybe through an illness, injury, infertility or loss of a child, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to go through the pain and experience. But I also know that if you’re reading this, then you’ve grown from that experience. You came out a little stronger than you were before. Your body was your teacher of how to find your strength, and that experience will be your reminder that you are stronger than you ever thought.
