Despite being pretty damn body positive, I do still have the odd thought pop into my brain about whether my body is too this or too that. And then I’ll remember that I’m 32, best case scenario I am already one third the way through my life (!!). And I wasted from age 13 to age 26 worrying about this stuff that in the end, just was not important at all, that didn’t actually stop me from doing anything I wanted to do, that was just a huge waste of time and energy and my LIFE. And I am NOT going to waste any more of it or miss out on anything. I’ve got things to do, and I can do them!
And I let it go.
So yeah, it’s normal to have those thoughts sometimes, and not at all surprising given the culture we live in, but we don’t have to follow those thoughts all the way down the rabbit hole or turn them into actions.
I see people a lot older than me still checking or apologising for their bodies, still trying to force them into shapes they don’t belong in, or missing out on wearing certain things or doing certain activities until, until, until…
And my wish for them (as it is for everyone) is that they could practice letting that go. And to seek out professional help if they feel stuck, because it’s not always straightforward, and I don’t want to minimise how serious that stuckness can be, how unwell people can be, and how hard it can be to get out of it, and how much of it is not their fault but society’s fault.
But my goodness is it worth it.
Once we do that we can start changing the world around us to be better, too.
Categories
Acceptance, Body Image, Body Positive, Confidence, HAES, Health At Every Size, Self care, self compassion
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