Wilson Counseling: The Armchair Chronicles

image: refinery29.com I was invited to speak with radio host  Dr.Carolyn Clansy Miller on Monday at 9am . Tune in to the show to hear more about how to embrace your body at any size and start feeling confident and strong.

In a culture obsessed with thinness, it was sort of surprising at first to see a sport that encouraged women to embrace whatever body type they had, but that is exactly what happens in the sport of roller derby . If you ever go to a roller derby game, you will notice there are thin girls, short girls, amazonian girls. It is a wonderful motley crew. Each of these body types carries some advantages in the sport. If you are short and small, you may be able to get low enough to get past your opponents, whereas being bigger may give you extra-strength to block or hit your opponents.   Roller derby turns all of the regular conventions of the "right" body type on its head. A prime example of this is a player named Beyonslay. She learned to use her larger size to her advantage. She is pretty amazing as the video link below attests. And because she is so amazing at using her larger body, it starts to subtly change the way everyone on the team looks at wei...

I came across this video from the makers of Special K about women using "fat talk." According to the video, 93% of women use derogatory terms, or "fat talk" to describe their bodies. For example, they might say something such as "I look like a fat cow in this outfit."  Words are powerful. When you use "fat talk," it impacts how you feel about yourself. One of women in the video equated it with bullying. Can you imagine what a lifetime of this talk has done to your self-esteem? This week, pay attention to the thoughts and words you use when thinking about your physical body. Write down any negative self-talk. Then next to the negative words, write down a rebuttal or a positive comment about your body. Sometimes it helps if you think about what you would say to a friend who was criticizing themselves. Battle your inner critic. Be vigilant about not allowing yourself to use bullying, degrading terms about your body.  By the way, my inclusio...

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/03/31/article-1372028-0B6D0A6600000578-246_634x411.jpg I came across the wonderful song by Baz Luhrman. He offers his advice on how to be free. The whole song makes me smile, but I especially appreciated this line about being free in your body. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own, dance Even if it you have nowhere to do it but your own living room If you have 5 minutes,  listen to this  and see if you don't feel inspired to be free!

www.kiyonna.com I have never liked going to the store and trying on a swim suit. Having a short, curvier body type, it felt particularly challenging, and those mirrors in the dressing room seem to magnify everything! I know this is a huge struggle for my clients as well. I remember one client who had fun beach vacation planned with her friends, but it was ruined for her after she saw a picture of herself in her swimsuit. She felt fat and could not stop comparing herself to her "skinny" friends. This led her down the path of restricting her food intake, and further down the path of her eating disorder. For many of you, it may feel inevitable that you will feel insecure, fat, or even ugly in a swimsuit, but before you start on that summer diet, please consider that there are many healthy ways to feel good and enjoy your summer. Check out this article about 5 things you can do to stop stressing about your bikini body. I especially like the body positive affirmation ....