I used to hate being naked.
The slightest glimpse of my reflection whilst dressing was enough to put me into a spin of self criticising thoughts. I would curse my bouncy bum, my ‘thick’ thighs, my not-flat-
enough tummy. To me, my naked body was a battle ground and the fight for ‘perfection’ was an ever losing battle.
Some days it feels like it still is.
But over the years those days of hating on my body have lessened. Here and there sure, absolutely. But the self loathing and body abusing girl I once was, is now long gone and in her place is someone doing everything she can to love herself a little more each day, especially her body.
Learning to love your body is hard. Don’t let anyone tell you different. It’s a mine field out there navigating a culture obsessed with ‘perfection’ and hell bent on moulding us into pre- pubescent boys or porno pin up dolls.
One of the things that helped me mend my rocky relationship with my body was spending time naked. Standing in front of a mirror and smiling.
Now that may seem like a weird thing to do. And at first it was. It was also incredibly hard. But I kept with it. And over time, things began to shift.
For the first time in a long while I began to feel my body from the inside. Sensations replaced numbness as I’d trace my hands over my bare belly while looking in the mirror. I would set a stopwatch. My goal at first was two minutes of smiling at my naked reflection, without a negative thought or comment about my body entering my head. If it did, I’d start the stopwatch again.
It was struggle. A real bitch of a practise. But eventually over time those two minutes turned into four minutes and those four into ten.
These days I spend a lot of time naked. I sleep naked, wander through my home naked, sometimes I even work naked.
And why it cuts down on laundry and has, I suppose, scientifically proven health benefits, for me it’s more about making a statement. A big bold message to myself that I am ok just as I am. As is. Now. Naked.
Whether your a nudie prudie or a bare butt bare all, check out the video below to discover why YOU need to spend more time in nothing but your gorgeous skin!
To start the vid, click on the my face 🙂
