In this post, Eleni Kapetanios, NLP Practitioner shares her story of shifting from the crushing suffering of self-hate to the contentment of self-love, and how you can do the same, starting with one of her 5 simple strategies shared right here.

I used to hate myself. The way I looked. I used to look in the mirror and panic about not looking good enough, or skinny enough. Even at my leanest, I looked in the mirror, disgusted. I couldn’t stand getting dressed, if clothes were tighter than they had been, I beat myself up. I ate super clean – bringing my own dinner to people’s houses, in Tupperware. If I ate “bad” food, say at a restaurant, I would cry on the way home. I was never good enough. Does this sound familiar? I really hope not.

For many years, I was a personal trainer. I felt an intense pressure to look a certain way. Lean. A 6 pack. A big, firm butt. 18% body fat. Isn’t that what people expect? I tried every diet under the sun, fat burners, excessive exercising, and still could never accept myself.

How I Made My Shift

I am no longer a personal trainer. While I love many thing about the fitness industry, it has some serious flaws. I worked with so many women who wanted desperately to achieve that ‘ideal” body, which is great. I love having goals. But for most of us, that “ideal” is a sham. Because, here’s the thing: if you don’t love yourself now, you won’t love yourself 15 pounds lighter. There will always be a “I’ll be happy when…” that never comes. I was super lean, at my fittest. I looked amazing. But inside, I felt ugly, fat and hungry. If you can’t accept who you are now, even when you reach your goal, there will be no satisfaction in it.

So I decided to help women love themselves now. I’m a Breakthrough Specialist, and I help women eliminate all the negative junk in their brains, so they can not only achieve their goals, but love each step of the journey, and feel beautiful the whole way.

5 ways you can start today:

1. Meditate or Listen to a Hypnosis

When you’re feeling stressed about how you look, stuff at work, family issues, or anything really, a few minutes of quiet, and BEING IN THE NOW, always helps. Stay present. Relax. Breathe. Take that time for yourself. 

2. Step off the Scale!

The numbers on the scale have nothing to do with you. They are arbitrary. They don’t measure your self-worth, how much people love you or how fit you are. Focus on other goals- lifting heavier weights, walking or running more distance, eating lots of healthy food.

3. Be Grateful

Everyone always says this – I know. But it really is so important. When you are grateful for all the things you have, it’s hard to stay in a “poor me” mindset. Write down 3 things you are grateful for each night. Think about those things all day, and really feel grateful.

4. Take Responsibility 

In my practice, I call this being At Cause. Everything you do is a choice, either consciously or unconsciously. Recognize this, and take responsibility for your thoughts and actions. You can always choose another behaviour or action. The cool thing about this is, that it puts you in total control of your life.

5. Listen to The Voices In Your Head

You know, that voice in your head that tells you things, and you ignore it? Your intuition? A feeling about something? Listen to that. If that voice is telling you something, pay attention. It will give you information, like what emotions are behind your ice cream craving, what you REALLY want to eat, and how to treat your body. Ask yourself questions, and the first thing that pops into your head is an answer from your unconscious mind. Try it. It always knows!

The Self-Love Journey

I have learned to love myself now. Some days it feels like a bit of a work in progress, but the majority of the time, I feel great. My goal is to help as many women as I can to eliminate negative emotions and beliefs about themselves and achieve all their goals. If you struggle with eating, weight loss, body image, anxiety or depression, and want to talk, I’d love to meet you.  Contact me for your Complimentary Insight Session. We’ll discover the next step toward true freedom and see if it’s a great fit for doing some work together.

Eleni Kapetanios is a Breakthrough Specialist. As a Master NLP Practitioner, she helps women release all the negative junk from their brains, so they can not only achieve their personal goals, but love each step of the journey and feel beautiful the whole way. She is in private practice at Two Rivers Health in Guelph, Ontario.

Want to learn more? Join Eleni at her upcoming seminar:

“Break Through Your Body Image: 3 Steps to Loving Yourself Now”

Wed. September 27, 7PM at Two Rivers Health, 55 Delhi Street, Guelph