Exactly as you are; you are enough!

I remember when I was a young girl, a pair of jeans had been given to me however, they were too small and didn’t fit. It was proposed, that if I focused on it hard enough and made this my ‘goal’, that maybe after some time, they would fit; they never did.

At such a young age, this didn’t motivate me, it only upset me and clearly created a strong memory as it came to mind today. Yet, why do so many of us do this to our self-daily, holding on to a closet full of clothes that are tight and uncomfortable.

We don’t want to buy new clothes because ‘we will lose weight’ and once that happens then we will buy new clothes. Having moved to Queensland at the start of the year from Ballarat Victoria, where it’s cold enough to snow, it’s fair to say that I don’t have an extensive summer wardrobe and the summer clothes that I do have were from a time when I was slimmer.

Here I am, much older and would have hoped wiser, yet my clothes were still causing me to get upset. So, I manned up, did a mini splurge and purchased some clothes that are comfortable, fit me and I feel free to conquer my days in.

The same afternoon, I found out that I had been offered a position with non-profit-organisation The Nutrition Press as a Nutrition Content Writer; I was over the moon! It really helped to put into perspective that I am so much more than my weight or the size of my clothes; something I need to remind myself of!

-You are so much more than your weight-

I share these experiences as it may relate with others; this is still a work in progress for me and I am big on documenting so figured I may as well write it down.

I finished reading ‘If not dieting, then what’ by Rick Kausman and one of the sections really stood out for me as an area I need to continue to work on. There was an activity to list 5 things about your body that you feel positive about. On this particular day I had listed

My eyes

… and that’s where I got to! I ran through from head to toes and managed to find a negative for everything.

-Negativity can rob us of enjoyment-

The plan when body image is getting the best of us?

Try and be more aware of negative self-talk - it may be so ingrained that by now we don't even realise that we are doing it

Accept your body in the here and now for everything that it is

Shift the focus from the micro and accept your body as a whole – our vehicle for life

Enjoy everything that it allows you to do

It takes work to create a shift and change in our thoughts and body image; be patient and kind to yourself throughout the process! Have a go at listing 5 positives about your your body. It might get you to start thinking; I know it has for me.

My new list of 5:

My eyes: for letting me see the world
My brain: for letting me push outside my comfort zone
My legs: for carrying me, day in and day out
My mole on my right cheek: for creating moments with my Fiancé
My fingers: for your fine motor skills and touch

The body positive movement is continuing to rise over social media platforms and there are some great pages out there if you would like to surround yourself with #bopo