The importance of physical comfort to body image

How often do you notice the physical comfort of your body?

Do you tune into whether you’re hungry, thirsty, or experiencing any pain from they way you’re exercising or sitting, for example?

Body discomfort impacts not only your mood BUT the way you feel about your body.

So in today’s post, I’m looking at why the comfort of your body is SO important for better body image.

AND, I’m sharing one simple technique you can use to make sure you’re taking care of your body’s comfort.

Watch or read below:

Are you overlooking the comfort of your body?

With so much focus on being smaller and leaner, it’s not uncommon for us to overlook the physical comfort of our bodies.

For example, how many times have you:

• Worn clothes that felt uncomfortable because they were too tight?
• Felt hungry because you were on a diet or restricting certain foods?
• Pushed your body to exercise past what felt good?

These are all things that women tend to do in an attempt to make their body look or feel smaller.

But when you experience these kinds of physical discomfort, how do they make you feel? I’d guess they make you feel pretty awful!

Bodily discomfort and body image

Wearing clothes that are too tight can trigger body shame. Plus, when you’re feeling uncomfortable, it’s difficult to focus on what you’re doing.

Hunger is never a feeling I enjoy! In fact, I’d say I get ‘hangry’ when I need to eat (that’s hungry and angry put together if you haven’t heard that expression before).

In the past, I’ve been guilty of pushing my body beyond its physical comfort, living with daily pain in my hips and knees – all in the pursuit of the ‘perfect’ body.

But pushing your body in this way reinforces the belief that it is simply an object to be punished – that you can somehow shape it to look like an unattainable ideal.

Being in constant body discomfort (and by this, I don’t mean living with chronic pain or a condition that causes pain – I mean discomfort over which you have control) worsens body image.

How to take care of your physical comfort

To help you become aware of the physical comfort of your body and make sure you are taking care of it on a daily basis ask:

How does my body feel in this moment?

Scan your body and notice if you are experiencing any discomfort. If you are, is there anything that you can do to make yourself more comfortable?

It might be as simple as getting a more comfortable chair, a cushion, or stopping whatever exercise you’re doing as soon as you notice a twinge.

The physical comfort of your body has an impact on the way you feel about it, so taking care of how your body feels has an effect on your mental health, including your body image.

I’d love to know what you are doing to take care of the physical comfort of your body.  Please leave a comment below.