Valuing ourselves beyond the physical aspect - girls gone strong

The article below is an excellent piece written by Girls Gone Strong outlining what I feel is one of the largest obstacles in helping female clients to have compassion for themselves and to feel comfortable in their own skin – living in a society where from a very young age, women are being indirectly taught that their self worth is dependent on their physical appearance.

This article touches on some great points, including that when we simply brush away a woman’s dissatisfaction in her physical appearance by reassuring her she looks beautiful or thin today, we are likely disregarding a pain that is much deeper rooted, as well as reinforcing the idea that being “beautiful” is an indicator of our worth.

At Maitri Fitness I try to incorporate the key suggestions of the article into the way I communicate with my clients, and I encourage other coaches, and anyone really, to do the same:

• Redirect the focus of compliments
• Validate feelings, but redirect body talk

Next time you find yourself in this situation, rather than disregarding a comment your friend or client makes, challenge yourself to listen to their feelings so they know their pain is heard, and begin to authentically compliment their internal qualities.

​

Click here to read the full article