Body for Rent: A Re-frame for Self-Care

Most of us don’t think much about self-care until we’re already burned out or overwhelmed.  Here’s my question for you…

A Reframe for Self-Care

What if you bought a car that you knew had to last for the next 70 years?  Would you take care of it differently?  Would you keep it clean?   Do you think you’d buy regular or premium gasoline?

Your body is just that–it’s a long-term lease on a vehicle that takes you, the person, around in the world.

Making this distinction is one very effective method to help you do the things you know you should be doing like eating right and exercising.  (FYI, this simple shift in thinking helped me to lose 2 pounds per month for about 3 years)

You Are Not Your Body

When we consider our bodies to be the same as our person, we can mistreat it when we have had a bad day or are full of negative self-talk.   So you made a mistake at work today… feel the emotion, let it go, learn from the situation, and move on—what does that poor box of Twinkies have to do with it?

Do you beat your car with a crowbar when it gets a flat tire?  Do you call your car a fat pig when you fill its tank?

Schedule Checkins

Bring your body to the doctor.  Take your body to the gym, or at least  for a walk around the block. Put high-quality fuel into your body.  Dress to express what the body carries inside it.  Don’t do things to your body that you wouldn’t do to a car that needs to last another half century!

Your body is not you. You have a body.  And you only get one.  Take care of it.

p.s. – If you want to build better habits and take better care of yourself, book a free trial session and we’ll see if we’re a fit for working together.