A positive body image goes beyond liking your looks. It encompasses taking good care of yourself and leading a fulfilling life. In this weekly series, I share some of my favorite posts from some of my favorite bloggers on this topic. Sometimes I also share relevant pieces that I’ve written on the Web. Hope you find these links inspiring!

What to do instead of numbing out.

7 damaging myths about self-care.

I’m starting a new series here on Weightless, where I’ll share a quote, comment or passage from another resource. Think of it as a kind of nugget to ponder, a morsel to nibble on; questions to explore when you have a few moments to yourself.

These questions will mostly focus on delving into your relationship with your body and yourself.

“My decision to protect my sensitivity was one of the most influential acts of extreme self-care I’ve ever taken in my life,” writes Cheryl Richardson in her book The Art of Extreme Self-Care: Transform Your Life One Month at a Time. “It forced me to stop judging and disowning essential parts of myself and start honoring who I am at my core.”

I can totally relate to being sensitive. As I wrote in this post, “When I completed Elaine Aron’s Highly Sensitive Person Self-Test, I checked 24 statements. Out of 27.”

{via etsy by Anita Waters}

People often ask researcher and author Brené Brown, Ph.D, “Where is the line between pleasure or comfort and numbing?”

This is a powerful question to consider when thinking about how we tend to our needs, process our emotions and truly soothe ourselves.

In her newest book Daring Greatly, Brené cites Jen Louden’s term “shadow comforts,” which refers to the various devices we use to numb ourselves.

Brené writes, “When we’re anxious, disconnected, vulnerable, alone and feeling helpless, the booze and food and work and endless hours online feel like comfort, but in reality they’re only casting their long shadows over our lives.”

Self-care has been on my mind quite a bit lately, thanks to Mara and Tamarisk’s awesome Perfectly Imperfect Project, which explores real self-care. (I’m sharing my post on Monday.)

So, today, I wanted to delve a little deeper into self-care, and the many ways we can look at nourishing ourselves.

I recently came across this incredible quote in Jen Louden’s book Comfort Secrets for Busy Women: Finding Your Way When Your Life is Overflowing: ”Self-nurturing is more than pampering. It is about becoming powerful.”

Here’s part two of my interview with Jennifer Nelson, author of Airbrushed Nation: The Lure and Loathing of Women’s Magazines. In her book, Nelson gives readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the business of women’s magazines. She delves into how articles are made — and just how they affect us.

Below, Nelson explains why she still likes women’s magazines and why they continue to promote damaging ideals. She also offers valuable advice for readers on becoming smarter consumers.

Nelson also explores the world of women’s magazines in her blog.

I used to love reading women’s magazines. It was my break from homework and books for school. I’d catch up on the latest fashion trends, read an interesting article and get a few beauty tips.

But then I remember reading an odd tip from a writer on not eating an entire piece of cake: She’d take a bite — maybe two — and then pour salt on it.

And that’s when I started realizing that maybe these magazines weren’t for me (or really for anyone). Maybe these magazines had become a slippery slope into a world of shoulds and damaging thoughts.

And the more I started dissecting their messages, the more I realized that that’s the whole point: to sell us specific standards, so we buy, buy, buy.

That’s why I’m excited to share my interview with Jennifer Nelson, the author of Airbrushed Nation: The Lure and Loathing of Women’s Magazines, a new book about the history of the women’s magazine industry, how articles are made (and manipulated) and their effects on readers.

Below, Nelson shares what inspired her to write Airbrushed Nation, the research that surprised her most and the damaging effects of reading these publications.

This is the last part of my interview with Dr. Katja Rowell, M.D., a feeding specialist and author of the must-read book Love Me, Feed Me: The Adoptive Parents’ Guide to Ending the Worry About Weight, Picky Eating, Power Struggles and More. (I highly recommend it for all parents!)

Below, Dr. Rowell reveals the practical and effective ways parents can help their children build a healthy relationship with food. Specifically, she follows Ellyn Satter’s evidence-based feeding models: The Trust Model and Division of Responsibility. I wish these models were standard practice in every pediatrician and dietitian’s office.

Dr. Rowell also discusses healthy eating and feeding in our earlier interviews on Weightless. Be sure to check out parts one, two and three.

Learn more about Dr. Rowell at her website, and read her fantastic blog. Also, check out these valuable additional resources from Dr. Rowell’s website.

November is National Adoption Month, so I wanted to talk about an often neglected yet critical concern for adoptive and foster families: problems with feeding.

It’s a very complex issue, but kids who are adopted or in foster care tend to be especially susceptible to eating struggles. And, unfortunately, the resources on feeding are scarce. Or, if parents do receive advice, it’s often misguided, exacerbating the problem and leading kids to obsess over food.

That’s why I’m so honored to present my interview with Dr. Katja Rowell, MD, a family doctor and feeding specialist. I’m a huge fan of Dr. Rowell and her positive work in helping parents raise healthy kids. (I’ve also interviewed her before on Weightless.)

Recently, she’s published an excellent book called Love Me, Feed Me: The Adoptive Parents’ Guide to Ending the Worry About Weight, Picky Eating, Power Struggles and More. It dispels common — and damaging — myths about healthy feeding and is packed with evidence-based practices for helping your child build a nourishing relationship with food.

It’s a compassionate, practical and safe resource, which I highly recommend to all parents. (By the way, you can win a copy below!)

In part one of our interview, Dr. Rowell delves into why adopted and foster kids struggle with eating and how a healthy relationship with food is at the core of children’s happiness.

Learn more about Dr. Rowell at her website, and read her fantastic blog.

{taken in October 2012 in Connecticut}

Every Monday features a tip, activity, inspiring quote or some other tidbit that helps boost your body image, whether directly or indirectly — and hopefully kick-starts the week on a positive note!

Got a tip for improving body image? Email me at mtartakovsky at gmail dot com, and I’ll be happy to feature it. I’d love to hear from you!

Our bodies and our lives are gifts. But in the hustle and bustle of the everyday, and in the stress over our size and shape, we often forget that.