What to do when your clothes shrink!

I had a bit of a moment recently prior to going on an overseas trip where I would be basking in Fiji’s 25 degree temperatures. It seemed that my summer clothes had “shrunk”.

It wasn’t until I really stopped to reflect on where I was, with my connection with my body that I realised how things had ended up here. I don’t have a weight issue, and I’ve always kept myself pretty fit and healthy, but this recent shrinking of my clothes made me realise how easy it can be to get into a habit of disconnecting with our body.

It is often that shifts in our body size are often an external representation of what is going on internally and I’m often surprised, and not surprised by the number of people (including myself in this instance) who struggle with their relationship with their body.

I have been using an analogy to support and guide a number of clients around our perception and relationship with our body that seems to hit the mark and give us the jolt we need to get serious.

Let's think of it like a marriage and with that in mind, ask yourself where you are at with your relationship with your body?

Are you in the honeymoon stage with your body, where you are deeply connected and woo each other daily? Are you sleeping in the same bed, or have you moved to separate rooms? Are you in need of couples counselling? Are you fighting every day? Maybe telling each other either consciously or unconsciously that you really don’t like each other? Are there times when you’ve even told your body you hate a certain part of it, or even all of it?

Often the conversations we have with our body are more unconscious than conscious. Like when we look at ourselves in the mirror and pull ‘that’ face; like when we hurl abuse in the form of the distaste that oozes from our eyes when we look at the parts we don’t like; like when we starve it of even the smallest amount of positive acknowledgement. Imagine a relationship with this level of abuse. Would it make the other person want to do nice things for us and support us?

Imagine if you took your body to couples counselling. The counsellor would likely ask you when you last really enjoyed each others company? They might ask you when you last really acknowledged each other? They may ask what you love, or at least like about each other?

The counsellor may even through this conversation with you and your body point out the presence of abuse in the relationship. They may point out the lack of movement, the food and drink that your body doesn’t really agree with that you force upon it, the environments you put it in, the constant mental stimulation you require of it, the way you speak about it, the over consumption of media, the late nights, the overwork. This level of unkindness all adds up to a relationship that is going to need some serious focus to rebuild.

In some instances, some may want to give up on the relationship all together. However we can't divorce our body although we may try. It's up to us to decide if we want to live within an abusive relationship; a relationship that is just "ok", or a relationship that is supportive, loving and kind.

When we consider improving our marriage with our body, think about what things would really show and tell your body that you liked it again. What would you be willing to invest in the relationship to get it back on track and to get the two of you back to sleeping in the same bed again? What would you be willing to do so that you and your body may find that spark of love that you both deserve?

Transformation Specialist and MOJO Unearther

Jo Shortland is a Transformation Specialist and MOJO Unearther - A personal, group and team coach who specialises in creating and delivering change and transformation programmes for ‘kicking it’ in life and work.

She is a certified Neuroleadership coach, a qualified personal trainer, and has over 15 years’ experience in people development and leading people and organisations through big and ‘crunchy’ change and transformation.

Having worked in complex and challenging environments she has ‘in the trenches’ knowledge of how to make changes really stick. And with an innate ability to create deep and organic connections she will help you or your team shrug off distractions, feel totally at ease and come back to centre.

Her work is founded on transforming with the brain in mind and a belief that the best ideas and actions are those that are driven from your own intuitive knowledge. This coupled with her uncanny ability for ‘just knowing’ what each person needs to do to make their changes stick, means anyone working with Jo will lock in results that last. 

However you invest your time with Jo, you are guaranteed to be left feeling intuitively grounded, deeply revived, seriously productive and uniquely transformed.

COMING UP with Jo

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