Love the Skin You're In

As women (and men), we are conditioned to believe that our worth is tied to our appearance. That there is good food and bad food. That we have to weigh a certain amount and look a certain way. It is hard to dismantle years of conditioned thinking. Thinking an apple is good and cake is bad. Thinking a flat tummy is good and a bulge is bad. Poor body image touches every single person. It is important for us, as moms, and influencers to our children, to reclaim our bodies and love them just as they are. When I talk about reclaiming your body, I don’t mean going back to the beginning and challenging every single belief. It starts small. Take one step back and challenge one belief.

The first belief my family challenged was that there is no such thing as bad food. When my daughter began overcoming her eating disorder, it was imperative that we embrace all food fit. It was so beneficial for my daughter to see me eat a variety of foods and enjoy them. Model for your children that food is for enjoying.

The second belief I challenged was that I had to weigh a certain number. This was a little harder for me. Challenging this belief and overcoming it brought me freedom. Realizing your worth is not tied to your weight can be liberating. I am no longer a slave to a number or a size AND my brain is much happier at a heavier weight. My depression doesn’t overtake me at a heavier weight. I enjoy life, I am happy, and I have more energy.

It is so important to embrace our bodies; every single aspect of our bodies. Seeing our bodies as the miracle they are is liberating. Think of everything your body can do. Sometimes we become so fixated on everything our bodies are not that we lose sight of everything they are. We are so much more than how we look or what we weigh. Model for your children that they can love their bodies. If we are unsatisfied with our bodies, our children won’t be unsatisfied with theirs. By changing the way we see ourselves, we are giving our children permission to see themselves as a life and body worth loving.

“We have to wake up and ask ourselves the question, ‘Why do I hate my body and when have I ever been allowed to just relax and like my body?’” Body dissatisfaction happens to thin women and big women and everyone in between.”