Love Your Body, Love Your Life ~ Book Review
Recently, I had the pleasure of reading a book by body image expert and author Sarah Maria, titled ©Love Your Body, Love Your Life: 5 Steps to End Negative Body Obsession and Start Living Happily and Confidently. For me, this book is one of the most in-depth explorations of mind, body and spirit. The recommended five steps are laid out in a superb manner. She has facts to back up her theories throughout the process and she explains the concepts in a simply defined way. The further I got into it, the more I was reassured that the author did her homework, without a doubt. To capture all my favorite points about this insightful literary creation would take many hours, so I’ll summarize and let you form your own opinion when you pick up a copy for yourself. Please keep in mind this book is for anyone who has negative thoughts about their body or their life, in general. Whether you are large, small, young, old, tall, short, male or female… this book can help you overcome the negative thinking habits that are holding you back.
Negative Body Obsession (NBO) is a term used throughout the book and it describes the feelings of dislike toward your body and/or yourself. As the author mentions, “NBO makes it difficult to accept the present” and “the resistance you have toward your body – and anything else in your life – is what prevents you from making the changes you want and fulfilling your intentions”. Maria goes on to say, “accepting the present does not mean you will not or cannot change. In fact, that is absolutely impossible because everything is constantly changing”. Grasping the concepts outlined in this book is the beginning of molding the life you deserve to live.
The mental exercises that Sarah Maria provides throughout the book are simple and reflective. They are designed to help you “identify and detach from your destructive thoughts”. She explains that “your life is the result of the choices that you have made in the past, whether you were conscious of them or not. If you want to create a different life with different results, begin by making different choices”. Her writing style creatively uses metaphors which help to re-program our minds to find beauty in and around us.
One of the most powerful points of the book for me was the teaching of forgiveness. You must first forgive yourself for hurting yourself emotionally, mentally and physically and for judging yourself too harshly. If you overindulge, forgive yourself. If you have an eating disorder, forgive yourself. If you have negative addictions or habits, forgive yourself and begin the healing. Then, you must forgive others because “If you are unable to forgive someone, you are the one who will suffer”. The effects on personal relationships are covered in a special chapter devoted to life with others, which offers value to not only those who live with NBO, but to others that suffer from the damage brought on by NBO.
I make a point to read and review self-improvement books exclusively because they provide both stimulation and relaxation for me. When I see or hear the words ‘self acceptance’ anywhere, I automatically take interest in what someone else has to say about their own personal experiences with accepting themselves just as they are. When you realize how liberating it is to set yourself free of all the negative self-talk that prevents you from truly living your life to the fullest, you can clearly see the direction you need to take.
This book is a great read and I suggest savoring it and participating in the exercises to gain the most benefit. I’m actually going through it a second time to drill down further with some of my favorite chapter exercises that I marked for quick reference. This is not a book that will gather dust on my shelf… it’s a keeper and a life-long reference guide for my continuing journey to love my body and love my life.
©2009 Sarah Maria, author of Love Your Body, Love Your Life: 5 Steps to End Negative Body Obsession and Start Living Happily and Confidently” is published by FSB Associates and currently available at Amazon.com
Related posts:
I think I might pik up this book and for the forgiveness section alone. Sometimes I feel that is the biggest motivator behind people not getting physically active (it goes hand in hand with depression). This being mean to your self because you do not look the way starlets look is insane. Accepting our bodies, even when they are not perfectly symmetrical :-), is the first key to true serenity.
That is very true about forgiveness… unfortunately for most people it isn’t always that easy. Forgiveness is a gift we give to ourselves, but sometime it takes a bit of work before we get there. Sounds like a great book!