I sometimes wonder if our ancestors were more comfortable in their bodies than we are. If I had to guess the answer it would be a resounding ‘yes’.
They moved their bodies through physical exercise, were connected to the seasons, had no processed food, no modern technology and coped with a far smaller amount of external noise each day. Their bodies were tools for living, not objects to be assessed or filtered through anyone else’s lens.
When did you last feel good in your body? Is it today? Last month? Several years ago? Or can you even remember a time?
The noise
Last week I shared a post on my Instagram stories by a beauty treatment broker I follow (@beautybrokerofficial) about the dramatic changes in requests she is experiencing from women of all ages. They range from teenagers enquiring about facelifts to those in their 60s wanting to look decades younger.
At the Appearance Matters conference I attended last month, the negative impact of social media on people’s perception of themselves and their bodies showed up across studies, nations, ages and ethnicities. Meanwhile, developments in the nutrition, diet and exercise space such as the multitude of supplements, GLP-1 injections and a booming fitness culture add to the overwhelm of what might be best for us and the social norms of what a body should look like.
Ultimately, the wellness landscape we live in is crowded and confusing. It is stimulating and reinforcing ideals of physical perfection that keep turning our heads and disconnecting us from our own bodies.
What disconnection can look like
What I notice amongst both clients and others in my life is a disconnection between their minds and physical forms. On paper this might sound odd. But I can assure you it’s very widespread and, arguably, becoming more so.
If someone with low self-esteem is at war with the body they see in the mirror, their relentless self-criticism overrides any sense of connection between their mental and physical selves. Similarly, if someone constantly compares how they look to others online or in person, there can be a detachment between what’s real and what’s unrealistic. Additionally, anxiety, stress or addiction to doomscrolling creates a busy mind. A busy mind can dominate what you think and make awareness of sensations in your body difficult.
It’s not unusual for people to be dealing with all these issues at once. Or to have been locked in one or more of these cycles for years. This disconnect can override signs and signals the body is providing and means your nervous system doesn’t know how to rest. This can lead to physical issues if the imbalance is not addressed
The body’s wisdom
We are not simply our minds. Our bodies are our physical and mental selves. The human body is an incredible machine and to live well we need it to function effectively.
What is missed in much of the relentless pressure to conform to Western culture’s perfect human form is that health is our trump card. If we prioritise understanding what makes us – our unique self – feel good in our own body, we can start tapping into its innate wisdom.
In my work, this often starts with helping clients to connect to what they feel in their body. Simple checks like noticing what sensations occur in their body when they are anxious and what can trigger this. We may talk about the types of nutrient dense meals that make them feel good. Or reflect on their sleep patterns and how they change on weeks when they have done some exercise.
Little check-ins like this start to build a greater sense of connection between our thoughts and how we feel physically. When these connections happen more regularly, it starts to become easier to be more confident about our body.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that comparison or criticism disappear. But we can start to become more appreciative of what our body does for us and appreciate the benefits of our mental and physical self being more in sync.
Your journey with body wisdom
Taking a stand against your clever inner critic or society’s pressure to be perfect is not easy or straightforward. Especially if this has been an issue for a long time, changing course and deciding to put the health of your body first can be a challenge.
But if you are able to take a step back and strip away some of the noise and messaging, you might start to see the logic of tapping into your body’s wisdom.
When your mind and body start to work together rather than against each other, it can shift how you feel about yourself, your body and the world around you.
