Gratitude

Develop a mindfulness practice of replacing bad body thoughts with gratitude thoughts.

Bad body thoughts, no matter what their root, can become a repetitive tape in a person’s head. Eventually, people who struggle with negative body image may not even realize what triggers them to start thinking the disparaging thoughts – they have become a well-worn pathway in the brain. But the exciting truth that meditators have known from experience, and researchers are now proving, is that we can train our minds and change our brains by using mindfulness. We can replace the bad body thought pathways with new pathways of gratitude. (Read more about this process here.)

Mindfulness, as defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn, is the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgement. Using gratitude as a reclaiming beauty practice, a person becomes aware of their mind starting down the path of bad body thoughts, without judgement, and then shifts their focus to gratitude. This process creates a new mental filter of appreciation.

A daily gratitude practice can be a helpful tool in training your brain to shift its focus. Create a daily gratitude journal dedicated to Reclaiming Beauty. Here are some prompts for your journaling:

~ Ask yourself: What CAN I appreciate about my body? Shift your focus from FORM to FUNCTION.

~ Identify 3 things you are grateful for today and what is your part in them?

~ What aspects of your beauty are you grateful for?

~ When you are struggling, look for the “gift in the wound.” Ask yourself: How have I grown through this difficulty?

How has a Gratitude practice helped you on your Reclaiming Beauty journey? If you feel inspired, please share with the Reclaiming Beauty community by emailing Heidi at heidi@reclaimingbeauty.com

Follow the Gratitude Beauty Mark to share in the experiences of the Circle of Women.