Below are several of the different phrases and expressions most often used to describe how you can relate to your body. The common thread throughout is that it's all about embracing yourself and your body exactly as you are. They all reject diet culture, and include respect, care, and curiosity over judgement. Healing body image is an active process and lifelong journey, rather than a destination. There is also a lot more complexity to body image than is included in the list below, especially when it comes to the ways in which body image intersects with race, class, gender, physical ability, sexuality, age, nationality, religion, body size, socioeconomic status, and more. Nuance is a critical aspect of our relationships with our bodies, on a personal and systemic level.

Remember that body image is fluid and fluctuates as we move through life. There may be a combination of options below that resonate, or just one, and what feels helpful and rings true today may change with time. For ease of understanding and simplicity, I have used "I statements" to help distinguish between the different approaches.

Body Respect: “I am worthy of respectful care. My body has been with me on this journey since day one and is extremely resilient despite what has happened to it.”

Body Love/Body Positivity: "Similar to how I can love a family member, friend, or life partner unconditionally, I love my body, and therefore I care for it and respect it."

Body Neutrality/Body Appreciation: "I don't necessarily love my body (at least not all the time), but I also don't feel intense loathing either. I am grateful for what my body can do, rather than what it looks like."

Body Acceptance: "I acknowledge that so much of the way my body looks is out of my control, and I choose to accept it the way it is rather than trying to change it."

Body Peace: "I declare a truce with my body. I vow to stop fighting it and allow it to just be."

Body Trust: “I strive to learn to listen to my body’s subtle and not-so-subtle messages, following them, and cultivating faith in their inherent wisdom.”

Body Liberation: "I reject the use of beauty as currency. I am free from all outside expectations, even my own. And I recognize that body image is a systemic issue. Until all bodies are liberated and free from oppression, none of us will ever fully be."

Intuitive movement can be a powerful tool to begin reclaiming your body, and mindset coaching can be a helpful way to begin identifying opportunities to practice these meaningful shifts in behaviors, thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions. If you like the idea of having a coach who can guide and support you, a great place to start is to schedule a free discovery call to learn more about the different ways we can work together.