Cultivating a healthy sense of body image doesn’t just end at making healthy choices to eat and exercise. These lifestyle choices are important for our heart, joint and health in general — but it’s important to note that body image goes beyond our physical appearance and habits. When it comes to healing our relationship with our bodies, we need to dig one step deeper to our core-beliefs and values.

Our bodies don’t just serve the purpose of looking “perfect”. Our bodies are literally miracles. Magnificent in so many incredible ways. 

Body image is an important aspect of mental and emotional well-being, and can impact a person's overall quality of life. Developing a positive body image can involve a variety of strategies, including practicing self-acceptance, developing a healthy relationship with food and exercise, and seeking professional help if needed.

Anyone can build a healthier relationship with their body image, including you my friend. You are a wonderful human with a clever mind, a great sense of humour and so much more to offer than just fitting society’s unrealistic expectation and mould of perfection. You’re beautiful in your humanness. You are more than your body.

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. They key word here is “prolonged”. When you are pushing through a level of intensity — whether it’s your workload, strain in your relationships, financial burdens, or all of the above — for a long period of time without effectively taking care of yousrelf and investing in your relationships — you can burn out.

It’s not a pretty state. It can be debilitating.

Burnout can occur when you are operating in a state of being overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands without sustainable rest, self-care and time away from the cause of your stressors.

When you burn out, it can deplete your sense of motivation, impact your productivity, and make you feel cynical, apathetic or detached. Burnout can also have serious consequences for physical health, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, immune system deficiencies, and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.

It’s a horrible place to be. And like any other disease, or health condition — prevention is better than cure. There are a few ways you can prevent burnout. By creating a sustainable lifestyle, boundaries and stress management techniques — you can take care of yourself and create a lifestyle that will allow you to rest from the strain and challenges of life.

You can also recover from burnout — though this may take a longer time. And don’t get me wrong — good things take time. But it’s best that you consistently taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally so you’re not resorting to emergency protocols to recover from a debilitating state of burnout. Here are a few strategies and tips you can take to prevent burning out.

Health isn’t about body size, lemon water, or even boiled chicken and veg! As humans, we are made of more than just the body. Our bodies are important. But we also have a mind. And some might argue that we also have a soul (or spirit). In order to establish a life that is well-balanced and sustainable, it’s important that we learn to view ourselves more holistically.

By meditating regularly, paying attention to your senses, intentionally slowing down and being self-compassionate, you can manage your anxiety and become more mindful. Mindfulness is a practice and skill that will take time and effort to cultivate. But by making a conscious effort to bring awareness to your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, you can develop a greater sense of presence, clarity, and calm in your daily life.

This is super important as it will allow you to manage your anxiety as you go about your day to day tasks. Everyone experiences anxiety differently, and what works for one person may not work for another. Try and incorporate these tips into your daily life and see how things feel for you. If the anxiety you’re experiencing is heavy and crippling, please reach out to a mental health professional for help.