What are you going to do with this one wildly, precious life you have been gifted?
During this time in my life that is filled with unknowns and chaos, I have found a peace like I’ve never had before. I’ve learned to speak lovingly to myself, to be gentle with my body and to eat with intuition. I wake up with this deep appreciation for this “flawed” body of mine. I am proud of the strength it has built and challenges it has overcome. Close your eyes for just a moment and think of all the things your body has been through and yet, it’s still here, and it chooses to save you. It keeps working even on the days you wish it would shut down. When we think of our bodies as our best friend that keeps on giving, we learn to speak kinder, be more forgiving and want to repay it for all it has done without even being asked. Who knows what you need better than YOU!?
At one point in my life, I would look at my stretch marks and be so ashamed of them. I would stand in front of the mirror lifting my arms over and over in different ways, jump around, and bend over just to make sure my shirt wouldn’t lift. The thought of someone else seeing my deep stretchmarks topped the list of the worst things that could happen to me. (Pretty vain when I consider REAL world problems) Now, I see them as my body doing whatever it needed to protect myself and the child I was carrying. It literally tore itself apart to keep us from harm’s way. It loving sacrificed itself to keep me here to share this message of self-compassion with you.
At one point in my life exercise and nutrition had ONE purpose, to correct all the things I hated about myself. I did it because I hated the number on the scale, the number on my jeans, the number of minutes each mile took me to run. I was so afraid to “let go” of this pursuit of a “healthier” version of me. Afraid I would lose control again. Afraid I would “let myself go”. I had accepted being at war with my body would be a life sentence. Living in this mentality emotionally I was depleted and physically I was in pain. Fighting against the signs from my body to stop killing myself, I finally called truths.
I remember the day I decided to give my body the peace it was begging for, I woke up in so much pain, I couldn’t feel my hands or feet, I grabbed the covers to pull them back to make sure my feet were still there and a sharp pain went through my fingers…At that moment, with my eyes filled with tears, I gave in. I was tired of being in pain, I was tired of “dieting”, I was just plain tired. I made a promise to change how I spoke to myself, I would listen deeply to my body and I would eat like a grown ass woman who could make decisions for herself. I would reject societies message of eating perfect, looking perfect and pretending to be perfect.
This promise I made to myself lead me to The Body Positive. I fell in LOVE with their message. I knew right away I found my saving grace. I am proud to say I am licensed with The Body Positive as Facilitator and as Warrior for Change with Circle for Change. Both are committed to empowering individuals to reach their fullest potential, to do what they are called to do in this life without letting body shape or size hold them back. What gift could you share with this world if you broke-free from body hatred, lack of confidence and the guilt and shame that comes along with our diet culture?