“The more we use words that in any way imply criticism, the more difficult it is for people to stay connected to the beauty within themselves.”

- Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D.

Nonviolent Communication skills can help you foster a healthy relationship with yourself.

You may have noticed that many people acknowledge that they are their own fiercest critic. Perhaps that describes you too! There's nothing wrong with motivating yourself or wishing to learn from your mistakes.

But many of us are brutal with ourselves when it comes to self-criticism. True to the old, outdated pattern, we try to motivate ourselves out of fear, guilt, shame, have-to's, and should's. When we communicate with ourselves with judgment and criticism it's very easy for guilt, shame, and depression to set in.

With Nonviolent Communication skills, our intrapersonal communication skills — our communication with ourselves — becomes healthier, more compassionate, more constructive.

When you judge and criticize yourself —

— or when you're caught in an inner battle —

...you don't have as many inner resources available for when you need them, like at work or at home.

Many of us have to work to overcome negative body image, which we accrue based on years of internalized criticism from family members, friends, schoolmates, authority figures, or we compare ourselves with all the “perfect people” we see on television, in magazines, and spread across social media.

Especially because so much of the culture is fixated on unrealistic body image expectations, there is a high prevalence of body image issues, health problems, and even death from eating disorders, not to mention mutilation (or “cutting”) and other forms of deliberate or non-deliberate self-harm.

Eating disorders in particular can be complex, and we're not advocating a one-size-fits-all approach.

If you want an integrated approach to help overcome negative body image issues, Nonviolent Communication skills help you develop a healthy relationship with yourself by

• becoming conscious of the deeper motivators for your behaviors — the Universal Human Needs that NVC teaches you to identify,
• learning how to consistently be kind and compassionate with yourself rather than harsh and critical,
• knowing how to get empathic emotional support from others and give it to yourself when you need it,
• control self-defeating behaviors, habits, and emotions on vacations and holidays
• fostering creative thinking for crafting strategies that can meet multiple needs.

When you work toward building a positive body-image and self esteem, you are benefitting not only yourself, but also your friends, family, and community. When you are motivated to attend to your self care, and go about the world resourced, your are more available to contribute, be present, and spread the love and the peace you feel inside. When your self-acceptance and self-approval are intact, you are less affected by the standards or norms conveyed for beauty and attractiveness in advertising, the media, and popular culture. Building a positive body image and self-esteem also helps you become a living example for other people who struggle to overcome negative body image or low self esteem, and who can benefit from the path you have walked.

Nonviolent Communication skills, when applied to your relationship with yourself, can also help you:

• Transform self-judgement and criticism into acceptance, compassion, and empathy
• Identify and address emotional trauma behind unhealthy eating and body image habits
• Become a proponent (by example) for healthy eating and balanced lifestyles
• Control self-defeating behaviors, habits and emotions on vacations and holidays
• Foster emotional fulfillment free of external “rewards” like junk food, the gym, etc.

Would you like to work on building a positive body image and self-esteem with Nonviolent Communication? Read up on its many benefits!

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Dr. Marshall Rosenberg spent his life bringing Nonviolent Communication (NVC) for healthy body image to the world. He communicated with and made peace among people of many cultures, religions, nationalities, lifestyles, and life situations. The most important similarity he saw among us all was that every human being in the world is already beautiful, complete, and has something incredibly special to offer simply by being themselves. But, as he points out, it is up to us to treat ourselves with plentiful empathy, compassion, understanding, kindness, and forgiveness.

“We can use the process of NVC mourning and self-forgiveness to show us where we can grow instead of getting caught up in moralistic self-judgments.”

- Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D.

Click here to read more advice inspired by Dr Marshall Rosenberg’s thoughts on healthy body image.

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“Many of us are habitually at war with our bodies, treating them in ways we’d never consider treating anyone else.”

Sylvia Haskvitz, author,
Eat by Choice, Not by Habit

Living nonviolent communication to overcome negative body image is totally achievable. To this end, so is living nonviolent communication in every other area of our daily lives too…. including:

• In Relationships
• In Parenting and Families
• In Education
• In Conflict Resolution
• In The Workplace
• In Healthy Body Image
• In Personal Growth

If you would like to get more information about living nonviolent communication through empathic parenting, we welcome you to Get in Touch With Us.