End the addiction to believing you need a different body

In the Year of Inquiry Program, our monthly topic right now is the body.

Wow, what a big topic, right?

This means….we’re looking at what disturbs us about the body. Anything, everything, all of it.

Image, weight, weakness, failure, illness, injury, fatigue, sleep, cravings, decline, aging.

With the body, the easiest place to begin is simply with writing your beliefs down about the body on a Judge Your Body worksheet, especially if you haven’t inquired into your stressful thoughts about being physical before.

But if you HAVE inquired into something you don’t like about being physical and having a body in your condition, something you feel threatened by about the body….

….step two is to really sit and contemplate why.

Why am I upset that I’m sick?

Why am I troubled, or terrified of being injured, or not feeling high energy?

What would I have, if I had that perfect dream condition I am so sure is best for me?

I often spend some time on this in Eating Peace retreats, or in Eating Peace Telecourses.

We want the body to look different, to look more attractive, thin, smooth, muscular.

We want to look like we’re in great physical condition.

WHY would that be soooooo fabulous?

Here’s what I’ve found reveals itself:

I want to look good (thin, athletic, young) because….people will find me attractive. People will want to spend time with me. People won’t abandon me. People will think I’ve got something they want, and therefore stay closely associated.

I will be accepted, and acceptable. I will not be criticized by people. I won’t make people uncomfortable. People will think I’m cool.

You might not care what other people think generally, but you may care about one particular person’s perspective of you, or you may care about the opinion of your mother when you were twelve. Just saying.

Let yourself consider when in your lifetime you cared about physical appearance, and why.

And if you really don’t care if you look like a frog, or a weird. alien from another planet, but you still notice you feel some kind of attachment to your body being healthy, young, energetic, pain-free…..

…..you can still wonder why you want that?

Where did you learn this was better than something else?

Do you ever reach that completely “better” or perfect condition?

I chuckle at Byron Katie’s laughter as she says “you’ll get the body just perfect, and then you get hit by a bus!”

Who would you be without the belief that improvement is necessary?

Some people say….OH NO!!!!

If I don’t have the drive to improve, I’ll sit around on my couch and eat ice cream all day, never go to the gym or lift a finger, and never go to the doctor for any reason, whatsoever.

Are you sure?

I love the drama of that thought.

Detachment suddenly means doing absolutely nothing, and not even imagining you might WANT to do something.

You couldn’t possibly do something because it’s fun, or you love it, it brings you great pleasure, or it’s just what happens when you aren’t in control. It’s like we swing all the way to total detachment, no caring for anything, ever, including getting up.

At least, that’s the mind’s view of things. We must have discipline, willpower, drive, total control….or give up to resignation and despair.

Dictator or Victim.

Who would you be without these extreme polar opposites?

Who would you be right now, in this moment, without the belief your body is wrong, declining, ill, ugly, or too heavy?