Your Body Is Not A Work Of Art

even more hours feeling angry, embarrassed and even ashamed of their bodies because they fail to live up to the images in their minds?

The answer is obvious, isn't it? Beautiful bodies get lots of positive attention, which is great for the ego and for generating feelings of self-worth. It's a fact that

women with "gorgeous" bodies are in great demand with virtually all cultures throughout the world and throughout time. Yes, the media-revolution has created an

unprecedented explosion in demand for gorgeous bodies but it's not a new phenomenon.

So if your body doesn't quite fit into the category of "absolutely gorgeous", how can you possibly feel good about it?

If you want to feel good about your body then you need to start seeing it for what it really is. Not a work of art. Not a two-dimensional picture stuck on a wall

for everyone to walk past and make whimsical judgements about. Not a statue that can be ignored, defiled, neglected or ridiculed. No, our bodies are none of

those things.

Our bodies are amazingly complex life-forms that allow us to live, breathe, see, taste, smell, touch, feel, walk, jump, swim, hug, write, draw, eat, laugh, play and

so on. And even if you're suffering from a disability or ill-health that prevents you from doing some of these things it doesn't mean that I am wrong, because your

body is still doing many of these things. Pictures and statues can't do ANY of them.

So if you've decided that you hate your body because you are disappointed with the way it's turned out then you're being very superficial, aren't you? Yes, YOU

are being superficial. You can blame glossy magazines all you want for pumping thousands of perfectly-manipulated beautiful images of women and men into our

society but if you succumb to hating your own body simply because you don't like the way it looks then you are causing your own misery.

Your body is a sophisticated and unique entity that should be judged in its entirety not just by the size of its chest or the shape of its nose. If you are prepared

to open your mind to the real value of your body then you can't fail to notice that it is actually very special indeed.

Here are some facts about YOUR body that are worth absorbing:

Your body uses ten different systems, which work as separate entities but depend on each other for physical and biochemical support, resulting in a true

functioning co-operative. These are muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine, immune, urinary, digestive, respiratory and reproductive systems. And

these systems keep working on your behalf 24/7.

The little patch of skin situated in-between your eyebrows contains over six million cells, 26 oil glands, 20 hairs, 100 sweat glands, three metres of nerves, one

metre of blood vessels and thousands of sensory cells. Picture that if you can!

And here's another fact to blow your mind: your brain has around 12 BILLION nerve cells!

Wow, isn't YOUR body amazing? Doesn't it deserve a bit of respect? So what if you have a few stretch-marks or you’re a bit hairier than you'd like to be? Your

body is still fabulous and there is an awful lot that you can DO with it that is fun and pleasurable.

If you have a negative chatterbox inside your head that drones on day-after-day, spouting destructive and superficial criticisms of your body, then maybe now is

the time to tell it to shut up and stop being so unfair. Let's be radical and simply stop listening to it so that we can all start living in harmony with our own bodies

AND other people's bodies too. Let's be radical and simply stop listening to it so that we can all start living in harmony with our own bodies AND other people's

bodies too. If you're up for this challenge then please read the tips that I've listed below and try implementing a few of them over the next couple of weeks.

tip one: Stop comparing and competing with other people because it is a fruitless activity, which I can guarantee will lower your self-worth. Accept instead that

every body and every face is different and there will always be people in the world who are more beautiful than you and some who are less.

tip two: Select four activities from the list below and find an opportunity sometime over the next two weeks to focus on doing them well.

a) Practise some deep breathing exercises.
b) Cook a fabulous meal and eat it slowly, savouring each mouthful.
c) Go into your bedroom on your own and be silly for five minutes. Jump around, wiggle your arms and legs, roll on the bed and laugh at how ridiculous you'd feel

if someone could see you doing it!
d) Find three things that you enjoy touching and spend a few moments relishing the feel of them. Maybe a flower, a piece of silk, a smooth pebble, a cat or a

dog etc.
e) If you're not in the habit of exercise pick an activity that makes you feel a little bit out of breath. An obvious one could be to run up and down the stairs a

few times.

tip three: Recognise that we are all capable of expressing beauty though our actions. Think of statements like: her face lit up, he has a twinkle in her eye, she

moves so gracefully, he's so vibrant and full of energy, she has a cheeky little grin, he always stands tall and proud, her eyes are always warm and inviting, he

looks as if he's enjoying life, she has a lovely touch, he gives the best hugs ever, they make me feel wanted and secure.

Now find some words of your own that you can focus on to encourage you express the beauty that exists within your body.

tip four: Write something positive about your body and don't feel ashamed of liking it. It's OK to celebrate your bodily openly so why not start today!