Do you ever have negative feelings about our body and how we look? One moment, you’re fine—then suddenly, something you’ve seen or heard has prompted you to feel a little pang of body-related negativity. Well here’s a quick habit you can work into your day that might help…
In today’s world, we are constantly made to feel self-conscious about our appearance. Whether watching a movie, shopping, scrolling through social media, or flipping through a magazine, we are bombarded with unrealistic beauty standards. Watch enough Marvel films, for example, and it’s hard not to start comparing our body-shapes to the likes of Captain America, Thor or Black Widow—and that’s not a battle most of us mere mortals can ever win!
With all the other stresses we face in daily life, body shame is an extra burden we shouldn’t have to carry. Here’s a simple practice I’ve picked up along the way—one that helps counteract these negative feelings. It’s a little act of gratitude that I dedicate to my body each day after my shower.
In those private moments of vulnerability—when we’re standing in the bathroom, the door locked, finishing our morning ablutions—we are perhaps closest to nature than any other part of the day. Almost all the layers of modern identity are stripped away: our clothes, hair products, makeup, jewellery, even our phones and watches. The mask we wear for the world is momentarily set aside, leaving us as we truly are.
And it’s in this safe-space that I take a few quiet seconds to acknowledge and appreciate my body. A simple pause to shift my perspective and marvel at the incredible job it does every day. After all, our bodies are the vessels through which we experience life and the universe.
In practice, this act of gratitude often takes the form of a silent thank-you; other times I think of a few improvised words. If I were to write it down, I suppose my giving-thanks could be expressed something like this:
Thank you, body, for being you.
For being my trusted vessel, my vehicle,
through which I explore and experience this extraordinary life.
Thank you for giving me sensation and perception.
Thank you for your strength and your sensitivity,
for your instinct to protect me, and your dexterity and adaptability.
I will never fully comprehend the incredible complexity
of your hidden structures and processes,
working ceaselessly to keep me alive and functioning.
But I appreciate their brilliance,
and their ability to translate my intentions into action—
allowing me to shape my world,
to receive and share ideas, to create and connect.
For this, and so much more…
I thank you.
I call it a prayer of thanks, even though it’s completely non-religious. Some things in life deserve to be elevated and revered for the astounding phenomena that they are. And yet, we are conditioned to view our bodies critically. We notice those extra pounds around our waistline, or compare our muscle tone to others, or focus on perceived imperfections in the mirror. Advertising feeds these insecurities, planting tiny doubts about our self-worth every time we see a billboard, browse the web, or turn on the TV.
But in truth, the human body is a wonder of complexity and efficiency, designed to adapt to an endless variety of situations. It can taste a multitude of flavours, detect millions of scents. It allows us to climb mountains, dive beneath waves, and feel both the heights of pleasure and the protective warnings of pain. Our hands can manipulate the microscopic and craft monumental works of art. We can pick out a child’s cry in a crowded room and discern beautiful music in abstract sounds.
Like the Millennium Falcon—the imperfect but reliable ship from Star Wars—our body may not be the strongest, fittest, or most capable compared to others. But it is ours. It is home. And it deserves to be loved.
Society has its own standards for measuring worth, but in truth, there are many ways to define value. It’s all about perspective. Your body is beautiful. If there were no other bodies to compare it to, you would never feel inadequate. You wouldn’t feel the pressure to renew a gym membership just to meet someone else’s definition of “acceptable.” If you lived on a desert island, this particular stress would likely never cross your mind.
So try this small act of gratitude today. It doesn’t have to be a rehearsed speech, it can be a silent, off-the-cuff thank you, for a specific thing that your body does well.
The important thing is that you acknowledge your body, appreciate it, and celebrate it for what it is—your vehicle, your home, your lifelong companion. Give it the love it deserves, and notice how a little weight, you may not have even realised you carried, lifts from your shoulders.
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