Body Image & Function: Acceptance vs. Complacency

I don’t have a soul.
I AM a soul. I HAVE a body.
My body is not a reflection of my soul.
I am not my body.
I just need my body to be Here.

Continually fighting with my Body is painful. Achieving peace over my body issues requires me to Accept its appearance, and it’s functional abilities.

Our culture’s Diet and Fitness Industry teaches us to fear Acceptance of our Body’s appearance and the way it functions. It warns us against Compacency; telling us to be aware that there’s something wrong with our body and the way it works; and that they have a million ways to sell us a way to make it look or function “better”.

Complacency is a feeling of satisfaction with an existing situation
while unaware of some potential danger or trouble.

Acceptance is agreeing to receive something or the act of receiving it.
An acceptance of someone or something is an indication
that you approve of or believe in it, or them.

There is a distinction between Acceptance and Complacency.

Complacency assumes you have a belief that you aren’t strongly holding yourself to, or that you are accepting “less” than what you believe should be “more than”.

True Acceptance of your body removes the belief that something about it is lax, loose, or lazy, and the belief that your body has standards which are relative to some “Ideal”. Acceptance is changing your personal Ideal to meet a standard that is realistic with the way you truly and realistically want to live.

Appearance, … the way you look, …is not a reflection of Spirit (or Value).
Also, Function, …the things you can do, … is not a reflection of Sprit (or Value).

I am not my body, so therefore it is not a parameter to judge myself by. If I was in an accident that severed my legs, it would not make me half of a spirit (of less value).

If I exercise abusively and end up with permanent osteoarthritus and major spine issues... I am not those ailments. Those ailments merely reflect the abuse I gave my body, based on the idea that my body was a reflection of my spirit.

That concept (that my body is a reflection of my spirit or my value), is a complete illusion which keeps us addicted and tied to our body image, our appearance.

This is also true for people who attach spirit (or value) to body function. Many people believe their physical abilites give them some sort of spiritual power - some added value, so if they can’t jump higher, lift more weights, have the best resting heart rate, and physically do something well, they are less valuable without those abilities, than they would be with those abilities.

My body is not a reflection of my soul - spirit - value.
I am not my body.
I just need my body so I can be Here.