On Health & Self-Love

Image.

In the past few months quite a few people I know have had health scares, or health problems emerge. I can remember, not too long ago, listening to the "adults" talking about lumps & bumps & abnormal pap smears & health concerns, and thinking, "that will never happen to me". Youth is funny that way - you don't realize that before long, you are the adults, worrying about the health scares. These things have got me thinking about the relationship between health, body image and self-love. I know there was a very publicized (and, it seemed, blown out of proportion) story in the media last year of a body acceptance advocate who went on to feel that acceptance of her body had caused her to ignore signs that she was unhealthy. I found this a little confusing.

I don't think we can really say that we love ourselves if we stick our heads in the sand, and ignore the cues that our bodies give us in order to let us know we're unwell. As I grow older I start to think that really loving ourselves, and our bodies extends to taking proper care of them. I believe that we can show that love for ourselves, not necessarily by losing weight, but by giving our bodies what they need to be healthy and feel good. By feeding ourselves food that gives us energy instead of taking it away. By keeping our bodies active and alert. By taking our bodies to the doctor for regular check-ups, or when they are doing something that worries us. I think that if we really love our bodies we will get pap smears, mammograms, prostate checks, skin cancer checks, and all of those things that we find slightly unpleasant, but are actually really beneficial.

Most of all, I think that if we really love our bodies, we will listen to them when they tell us enough is enough. I am so proud of one of my friends, who has had to make major changes to his life & diet because of a health scare, because he is learning to listen to his body's needs. I plan to use the first few weeks of 2012 to get back in tune with the needs of mine. I want my body to last, so I can go on loving it & learning about it for a long time yet. In 2012 I will: get my hearing checked, my eyesight checked, a pap smear, talk to the doctor about the wierd pain in my wrist, talk to the doctor about the wierd pain in my hip, get my moles checked for skin cancer, gently get back into a good exercise routine, and start listening to my body about the food it wants to eat again. Why? Because my body is damn well worth it.

Until next time, xo.