We all have our kryptonite. Yes, I’m talking about that thing we resort to when we subconsciously want to hurt ourselves. When life gets out of hand. When we feel lost, alone, misunderstood. For some, for example, it is food. And we live in a society built on the three S’s: Skinny. Successful. Smart. But at what price?
Today, more than ever, our value seems to be measured by how slim, how high-performing, how bright we are. If I don’t feel good about my body, I will avoid that appointment. If I feel bloated, I will touch my abdomen during a meeting, distracted, insecure. If I go out to dinner, I will feel compelled to “compensate” with exercise or food restriction. We have been conditioned to believe that physical fitness is our calling card. Then, in summer, everything is amplified: swimsuit advertisements, flash diets, sculpted and unattainable bodies invade every space, from social media to billboards.
Psychology tells us about priming, a phenomenon whereby even fleeting exposure to a stimulus, such as a glossy image on Instagram or a fitness advertisement, unconsciously influences our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. These visual stimuli, while lasting only a few seconds, stick in the mind and prompt us, often without our realizing it, to compare ourselves to unrealistic aesthetic standards. Thus, our body stops being home and becomes a battleground. And they convince us that we are not enough.
Discomfort with one’s body has a ripple effect: it affects relationships, careers, the way we perceive and act in the world. But there is a new wave making its way. From the cult of bodybuilding, to fitness, to a more mature and compassionate concept of wellness. We are no longer inspired by the models of the 1990s, skinny to the point of unnatural, nor by “macho men” willing to do anything for a sculpted physique. Today, exercise becomes care. Movement. Life.
The message is clear: Healthy is the new skinny. We can indulge in a dish of pasta without guilt: because that dish represents home, culture, conviviality. There is no such thing as “splurging”: there is conscious choice, balance, self-respect. Physical activity is no longer a “duty” but a “pleasure.” I exercise because it makes me feel good, not because I have to “look” better. Because movement releases serotonin and dopamine, the neurotransmitters of happiness.
Here are some tips for living the summer in harmony with your body:
Rompi il ciclo restrizione–abbuffata
Saltare i pasti prima di una cena fuori non ti aiuterà. Ti farà solo arrivare affamato e perdere il controllo. Nutriti durante il giorno: il tuo corpo non è il nemico.
Pratica l’alimentazione consapevole
Evita di mangiare distrattamente davanti a una mail, a uno schermo o al cellulare. Ritagliati uno spazio di presenza: il pasto è anche un momento di connessione con te stesso.
Stop ai paragoni
Le immagini pubblicitarie mostrano corpi il cui aspetto è il frutto di un lavoro professionale, non della quotidianità. Il tuo corpo ti porta nel mondo ogni giorno. Ringrazialo, non giudicarlo.
Smetti di classificare il cibo in “buono” o “cattivo”
L’ortoressia – l’ossessione per il mangiare sano – è sempre più diffusa. Essere equilibrati è più sano che essere perfetti. Il benessere è anche libertà.
Riprendi il controllo sul tuo corpo
Non devi piacere a nessuno se non a te stesso. Il corpo è tuo, e nessuno ha il diritto di dettare le regole del tuo benessere.
The Latins used to say Mens sana in corpore sano. Perhaps the future of wellness lies there: in returning to the essentials. To a non-judgmental, welcoming, nurturing form of health. That does not ask us to be perfect but present.
The article Wellness is not about fitness, yet we still believe in it comes from TheNewyorker.
