A few years ago, it was hard to look anywhere and not see media that said to “love your body.” Body positivity is a social movement that encourages self-love. Some people find this helpful when they need help motivating themselves to live their fullest lives. Others struggle to feel good about their bodies, and they see this as another example of toxic positivity. For those people, body neutrality can be a better option. This concept encourages people to see their bodies as vessels that carry them through life, rather than objects that need to be crafted. Read on to learn about how body neutrality helps some people relate to their bodies in a more peaceful way.
Body neutrality means relating to the body in a practical way, approaching it with respect and compassion rather than constant positivity. As your weight naturally fluctuates, body neutrality allows you to focus on your overall goals rather than riding a daily emotional roller coaster. It also allows mixed feelings about your body to coexist. Remember, you can support your health and even love yourself without needing to love every part of how you look.
Sometimes when negative emotions arise, it can lead to a spiral, in some part due to the pressure to be more positive. You may begin by having negative thoughts about your body, then feeling bad about yourself for having those thoughts. Body neutrality relieves the pressure to monitor each thought. On days when you notice progress, you may feel proud. When the scale reads higher than the previous day, discouragement can creep in. This is normal and not a reason to criticize yourself. A negative thought does not have to derail the day, and a lack of body love does not mean failure.
Body neutrality shifts your attention away from thoughts about how you look and moves them toward how you feel. This helps you focus on your health over your appearance. Monitoring health markers like energy levels, strength and sleep quality becomes easier. While appearance changes often take a long time to come to fruition, health changes make themselves known early on in your weight loss journey. As you see these improvements, you’ll be more motivated to continue practicing healthy habits every day.
When you focus too much on how your body looks, everything feels like an equation. You find yourself constantly calculating how a meal, photo, outfit or workout will affect your appearance. Body neutrality allows you to experience life between weigh-ins. This can mean enjoying a family dinner or special occasion without worrying about the macros. It can also look like trying a new fitness class without worrying about whether it’s going to help you burn enough calories. Thinking in terms of your overall wellbeing, rather than the shape of your body alone, gives you the freedom to live in your body without constantly worrying that it’s not good enough.
Now that you know how body neutrality can help you achieve your goals in peace, you may have questions about how to practice it in your daily life. Here are some of the easiest ways to get started with body neutrality:
For some people, body positivity can be an effective tool for moving into a healthier lifestyle. However, many people struggle with the pressure of needing to be positive when faced with challenges. Body neutrality allows for a middle ground, pulling the focus away from aesthetic goals and toward accomplishing goals outside of the scale. If you need help building a better relationship with your body, remember—positivity helps, but you don’t have to be positive all the time.
