Your Body Is Not the Problem: A Radical Approach to Body Acceptance

For so many of us, the toughest relationship we’ll ever have is with our own body. We spend years at war with the reflection in the mirror - pinching, criticising, hiding, wishing we could trade the body we have for one that finally feels “good enough.”

But the truth is that: your body was never the problem.

The Real Problem: The Stories We’ve Been Sold

The way we see our bodies didn’t appear out of thin air. It was shaped by:

✦ Cultural ideals that change every decade, proving they were never the “truth.”

✦ Marketing messages that profit by convincing you that you’re flawed.

✦ Comments and comparisons we absorbed as children, often before we could even name them.

For years, I believed that if I could just change my body, lose the weight, smooth the skin, sculpt the shape, then I’d finally feel confident. But every time I reached a “goal,” the finish line moved. I wasn’t broken, my body wasn’t broken, the belief that my worth depended on how I looked was the real cage.

What Radical Body Acceptance Really Means

Radical body acceptance isn’t about ignoring your health or pretending you love every inch of yourself all the time. It’s about ending the war.

It’s about:

✦ Respecting your body as your home, not a project to constantly improve.

✦ Acknowledging everything it already does for you, often without thanks.

✦ Making choices that honour your wellbeing, not punish your shape.

When you stop seeing your body as an obstacle, you stop wasting your energy on shame. That energy becomes available for living, creating, connecting, and healing.

3 Steps to Start Rebuilding Your Body Relationship

Here’s how you can begin today:

1. Listen to Your Body

Pause three times a day to check in:

✦ Am I hungry, thirsty, tired, tense?

✦ What do I actually need right now, not what I think I should need?

2. Shift Your Inner Dialogue

Catch one critical thought about your body and replace it with something neutral or appreciative:

✦ From: “I hate my thighs.”

✦To: “These legs carry me everywhere I need to go.”

You don’t have to leap to self-love. Start with respect.

3. Choose Nourishment Over Punishment

Ask yourself:

✦ Does this meal, movement, or choice feel like care or control?

✦ Does it make me feel supported or shamed?

Acceptance is built in those tiny, daily decisions.

A Final Truth to Hold On To

You were born in this body, and it’s carried you through every day of your life so far. It deserves more than criticism, it deserves your care.

When you stop treating your body as the enemy, you free yourself to start living. Because at the end of the day, the problem was never your body, it was the story you were told about it.

If you’re ready to go deeper into healing your relationship with yourself, Chapter 7 of our book, Radical Self-Acceptance, dives into body acceptance in a way that’s practical, compassionate, and freeing.

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By| Syianne Raemond

@womenwhoslay

Disclaimer: This post is based on personal reflections and experiences. It’s meant for empowerment and self-awareness, not as professional advice.