Overcoming
Unrealistic Expectations for Our Bodies
Why are so
many of us, in one way or another, dissatisfied with our bodies?
Why does our culture put such overemphasis on an extremely narrow
view of physical beauty, and why do we buy into such thinking?
Our society's preoccupation with living up to media-portrayed
body images is insane, causing many of us to struggle with an
inner critic that too often sends messages such as, "You're not
good enough," or "You don't quite measure up."
We must learn
to listen more deeply to ourselves and to one another, thus getting
back in touch with our intuitive common sense and the enormous
power we have within us individually and collectively. We must
support one another in firmly saying "no" to unrealistic media
messages and to our negative inner critics, realizing that we
come in a delightful array of shapes and sizes and colors and
that each of us is perfectly okay just the way we are.
Together we
can create much healthier and far more satisfying possibilities.
One step in that direction is learning to lovingly accept, respect,
and trust our marvelous physical bodies.
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Prepared
by Sam Quick, Ph.D., Human Development and Family Relations Specialist,
and Alex Lesueur, Jr., M.S.L.S, Staff Support Associate.
