Changing A Habit Of A Lifetime

I seriously love the New Year. Not New Years Eve, but the start of a new year.

A fresh start, a clean slate, a do-over from last year’s mistakes, stumbles and the goals I started and lost interest or motivation for.

But I have noticed in recent years that as life changes and gets busier, finding the time and commitment to achieve my goals has become more challenging.

So I decided to review the last 11 years of my goals and see which ones I have achieved, which ones I discarded and which ones (if any) I want to refocus on. And I was SHOCKED. Not because I saw the innocence of my twenty-something year old self (I will pay off that debt, I will respond to emails quicker!).

But because every single year included a goal to lose or maintain an arbitrary number of kilos I defined at some point in my early twenties. Which means for most of my adult life, I have wanted to change the body I live in.

And I can guarantee you, I am not alone. In my article in September on Body Image, I talked about the alarming high percentage of Australian women who are dissatisfied with their bodies.

All of this got me thinking so I sat down to watch the film “Embrace”, an Australian documentary about body image. After 25mins, I stopped the recording and asked my husband to watch it with me, because I really believe body image issues are not just a woman’s issue. It is the responsibility of all of us to change it.

In 2018, I will be on a mission to contribute to this positive body image movement. Which for me begins with instead of a target weight on my annual goals, I am simply changing it to “love my body”.

If negative body image is something you struggle with, I hope you will join me and make your 2018 a year of growth.

Cressida

Cressida Bell Counselling – Anxiety Specialist with a particular interest in perinatal mental health, body image and relationship issues.

Tel: 0466 686 161 or email: contact@cressidabellcounselling.com