Just recently, I found myself experiencing something that’s rare for me these days, but used to be part of my every day experience: body hatred. I felt like I was emotionally picking on myself all day. My hair was never right, my clothes never felt good, my face looked puffy, and I felt more out of shape than usual. No matter what I did I couldn’t seem to get back to the much happier place that I had come to know as normal.

Luckily, I was able to move through this experience by using two methods—one that I have used for years and one that is new to me, but both that I highly recommend.

The First Method

This first method, free writing, is one that I love to use with Body Love Wellness clients.  It’s a great way to detox your brain of negative thoughts or to connect with your internal truth and wisdom. Sometimes I ask clients to free write on a particular topic that comes up in our sessions, such as "good and bad food" or "being perfect" or "being thin." Very often, clients get in touch with their beliefs through this process, and they’re then able to work with them or change them.

In my case, after a week or so of living with this uncomfortable (and yet familiar) feeling of body hatred, I decided to spend some time free writing on the topic of beauty. After a few pages, I wrote "since you can’t see it in yourself right now, start looking for beauty everywhere."

Something about that advice resonated with me.

The Second Method

This second method of seeing the beauty everywhere started to move me out of my feelings of ugliness. I started noticing beauty, well, everywhere: in the stark early winter trees, in the crinkly fine skin of the elderly lady who sat next to me on the subway, in the way an older sister held her younger sister’s little backpack. I started to see beauty again hundreds of times over that day, and the next morning I felt like myself again.

It was incredibly simple, and, simply put, beautiful.

So this week, I would love for you to try either of these tips.

1) Take some time to free write, either without a topic or on a topic that’s troubling you. Let your mind go where it wants. Don’t worry about editing or punctuation. Just write!

2) Make it a point to see the beauty in your surroundings as you go about your day. Try this for one day (or even one minute) and notice any changes.

As always, please comment below!

Attention New Yorkers! Join me at Maxi Craft and get your shop on! Re/Dress, the super fabulous plus sized vintage clothing store, is hosting a night of gorgeous handmade products by local designers. Come chat with me about Body Love and score some great holiday gifts!

DATE: Wednesday, December 9, 2009
TIME: 7:00-9:00PM
LOCATION: Re/Dress NYC 109 Boerum Place Brooklyn, NY

Want more things to make you see the beauty in the world? Then check out the other great tips this week.

Be sure to check out our new podcast!  Body Love Wellness Podcast—Find The Beauty

Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness. She counsels women and men throughout the country on how to get off the dieting roller coaster, give their bodies what they really crave, and love their bodies and themselves. Golda's counseling and activism work have been featured on CBS's The Early Show, ABC's Nightline and Time Out New York. For more support with healing your relationship with food and your body, sign up for the Body Love Wellness Newsletter and receive your free download — Golda’s Top Ten Tips For Divine Dining.