Cultivating Body Acceptance & Self-Belief Through Somatics & Creativity

When was the last time you said, or thought, something kind about yourself?

When did you last judge how you look, or felt you had to change something about yourself to fit in?

So many of us go through our day with a highly judgemental inner voice - which stops us from experiencing life with joy, moving and eating to nurture ourselves, or doing things we really want to do (but don't because perhaps we don't feel good enough)!

This blog is an invitation to start to soften self-judgment, and become curious about how you can cultivate body acceptance and self-belief through somatic awareness, creative expression, and self-compassion practices.

Welcome! I'm Sophie Rey. I integrate Yoga, Somatic (body-led) Exploration and Coaching with Creativity to provide co-facilitated, whole person-centred support, helping you return home to your body, and reclaim more nourishing, confident and joyful ways of being.

Building Somatic Awareness

As you began to read this blog, or when you saw the title, I'm curious if anything was stirred inside you?

Any sensations, emotions, or thoughts that came up as you imagine a life where you could accept your body and embrace who you are?

Maybe there’s a feeling of longing, or a small flutter that says, yes, I want that.

Perhaps there was actually a feeling of hopelessness, or exhaustion - which can happen when we battle with who we are on a day to day basis.

It might even be really difficult to connect with how you feel. It's easier to disconnect and not feel anything when it all gets too much.

I want to start by saying - I see you and I understand how you feel.

Many of us feel shame for how we feel about ourselves, alongside the shame we feel for simply being who we are. These sensations and feelings are all information - signs of your body communicating with you, signs of dysregulation, lack of safety and, an invitation to listen.

This is where somatic awareness begins: in the noticing.

Not in trying to fix, or immediately trying to change what or how you feel.

From this place of noticing, the possibility of self-acceptance, body neutrality and trust in yourself, becomes more real.

Freedom from restriction, control, and self-judgement opens space for expression, ease, and joy.

Why is judgment so ingrained in us?

Judgement is an emotional reaction, whether we are judging ourselves or others and can stem from cultural and generational norms, social media, insecurities through puberty, lack of connection or support, and essentially a need for safety.

A huge percentage of the population struggle with negative body image or a deep dislike for who they are, and there are many reasons why this might be the case, including negative life experiences, home environment, traumatic experiences, the media & social media, comparison, puberty, learned coping mechanisms, disability, religion and more.

We all judge - in some form or other, or at least we all have the ability to judge.

It's a very human thing to do.

Judging others rarely has anything to do with the people we are doing the judging, but social media and ideal beauty standards that are pushed, can play a huge role in how we see and feel about ourselves, and what we think others should look and be like, rather than embracing our uniqueness and differences.

Embracing Where You Are...

Everyone’s journey is unique and depending on where you are in your personal circumstances, can impact how this information and explorations land with you, so I invite you to be as kind, open and curious as you can be.

Some practices may resonate, and others may not, right now.

Take what feels nourishing and leave what doesn’t (until you're ready to experiment another day).

Where to Begin: Creating Space for Stability

We have to start somewhere, and most importantly, we need to feel stable enough to allow ourselves to feel emotions, check in with discomfort, and notice what's happening in our inner experience without judgement.

Most of the time, we jump to fixing and 'calming' or 'soothing' ourselves, which can be useful, but can also be a way of ignoring what's really happening. If you ignore things for too long, it can make things you worse in the long run.

A daily practice of noticing what feels stable or supportive in your environment, and how this feels in your body and system, is a helpful place to start.

1. Stand or sit somewhere where you feel generally safe enough or you enjoy being there - it could be outside, by your favourite window or sofa.

2. Look around you. Really LOOK and notice your environment. Without judging the space (untidiness etc). Why have you chosen this space? And what lets you know that it feels safe or comfortable enough to be in right now?

3. Acknowledge any thoughts... images... or sensations... Maybe there's a softening in your belly, or your forehead and jaw relax. Maybe there's a deep sigh and you can breath a little deeper. Maybe it's sense of contentment, or a thought of 'I love the way the light shines here'.

Orienting to your environment, to time, space, nature, our loved ones, brings stability to your nervous system.

Orienting sends signals of safety to your nervous system

Emotions associated with self-judgement and lack of acceptance or self-worth are often fear, anger, shame, disgust and guilt.

We try to manage and control these emotions by pushing them down or ignoring them, so we don't feel the pain, discomfort, memories and intensity that they bring.

It can be a complex web of feelings, that we don't know what to do with, and control is essentially a coping mechanism, for dealing with challenges in our life.

Somatics: listening instead of controlling

Control makes us feel, well, in control! It makes us feel like we have a handle on everything and if we can just control ourselves, everything and everyone around us, everything will be fine!

This way of being can cause more stress, worry, tightening, tension and frustration - when things inevitably can't be controlled in the way we want them to.

The important thing to remember here, is that there's a need that wants to be met.

Your nervous system is sending distress signals and doesn't feel stable or safe enough to handle whatever situation or perceived threat is afoot.

Somatics - such as slow intentional movement, self-inquiry check ins, breath awareness, and generally any reflective exploration where we listen and acknowledge our experience rather than disconnect from it, allows us to understand our needs better.

Try a daily practice of listening - Ask yourself in the morning "How am I today?" and listen to see what comes through - can you name how you're feeling, if there's an emotion, or sensations.

If you need some support, guidance, kindness or gentleness, what can you do to support yourself today?

Small steps to compassion

Checking in with yourself, listening and honouring how you feel are the steps towards self-compassion and changing your relationship with yourself and your inner critic.

Tender self-compassion comes in when we need nurturing, soothing, care and resourcing.

Fierce self-compassion comes in when we need to be firm, set clear boundaries with ourselves or others and stand up for ourselves.

We become our own nurturing parent, our own cheerleader, our own friend - rather than fighting against ourselves. This is key to self-acceptance.

Try this...

When you next experience a rise in self-judgement, a melt down at your wardrobe, or a spiral into self-doubt, place one hand at the back of your neck and one hand either on your cheek or forehead.

Press your hands firmly, but gently as if trying to bring your hands towards each other. Sense into any warmth or sensation of your hands. Lightly massage the back of your neck, stroke your cheek or massage your temple as you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth for 5 - 10 breaths.

Creativity: expressing instead of perfecting

If you have a very difficult relationship with your body and feeling, sensing or being with yourself is challenging, then it's important to start slow, take little steps and find alternative options.

Using Creativity can be a great way to start connecting with yourself, through your hands and how you experience play, joy and self-expression. It has a profound impact on brain health and function, emotional resourcing and sense of self, more so when focusing on the process and act of making and creating.

You also don't need to be an artist or consider yourself all that creative to use creativity and art as a self-resourcing tool.

Try this...

Grab a piece of paper and coloured pencils that feel fun or joyful to you.

Sit comfortably, feeling your feet or sits bones on the chair - make sure you feel supported and there's no discomfort when sitting.

Pick one pencil crayon - the one you're most drawn to.

Think of a shape - any shape - be curious what comes to mind first - and start to draw that shape on your paper. Can you breathe slowly as you draw the lines, or allow the pencil to drift around the paper.

Sensing the way your hand moves and controls the pencil. Allowing your breath to flow. Perhaps notice any areas that are tensing and invite them to soften.

Keep going with your shape and sense into anything else that might want to happen next... a new shape, a different colour, another movement or breath.

Let yourself be bold, be expressive, be gentle, be joyful - What would you like to cultivate right now?

Keep going until you feel ready to stop - Sit comfortably, feeling your body on the chair and your feet on the floor.

Observe what's here for you now, with curiosity. Nothing needs to have happened - and shifts can be retrospective. Allow this practice to be what it is - a curiously, creative exploration!

Taking a brave step

These invitational practices are ways of remembering that your body, your emotions, and your needs matter. That what you are experiencing is very human, and you aren't alone. It can be really scary taking that next step, but that is where the magic happens.

I know you don't want to continue living your life feeling this way, and there's a longing to go through the day not hating yourself or your appearance, not bursting into tears and frustration whenever you go to get dressed, or monitoring every little thing you eat with fear.

Through somatic awareness, creativity and being witnessed by someone who cares deeply and wants you to feel the deep joy of being who you are, you can begin to shift the old patterns of judgement and build new foundations of trust, acceptance, and self-belief.

As you finish reading todays blog, take a moment to sense what’s present in your body now - your breath, any sensations or subtle shifts. This is where the work begins: in these small moments of awareness, kindness, and allowing yourself to be seen.

Thank you so much for being here today, and if you feel called to explore your relationship with your body, yourself and what's possible, do reach out. I've linked my details below and I'd love to hear from you.

With Gratitude,

Sophie xx

Ways to be supported, or work with me....

Free Resources on YouTube

1-1 Somatic Coaching Programme

Click the image to visit my website!

Monthly Somatic Reset Ritual Online

Last Saturday of every month

10am - 11:30am (uk time)

Sliding scale pricing (£12 - £22)

• Meet with a supportive online community.

• Give yourself permission to pause, rest and check in.

• Somatic Explorations for self-enquiry

• Reflect & journal on the month & celebrate your wins.

• Reflect on what's needed to support your mind, body and soul over the coming month - and create a simple plan.

Find Out More

Nurture What Matters - Free Downloadable