You. Yeah, you. This post is for you.
Are you down on yourself today? Are you being super critical of yourself and where you are body wise? Or life wise? Yeah, I feel you. Same. WE ARE SO HARD ON OURSELVES?
Do this with me right now. Sit in a comfortable position and just take a deep breath in. And slowly exhale. Now, do that 4 more times. Did you know that the typical person doesn’t even stop to take 5 breaths in a single day? Well good job, you just beat the norm. I’m proud of you!
Okay, back to this horrid, self-talk and beating yourself up for gaining a few pounds or overeating for a week straight because you’re stressed about life/relationships/family drama…. STOP! Stop that right now. That bad self-talk will get you nowhere. Why is it so easy to speak so highly of other people, yet we go around comparing ourselves to the world and we are horribly critical of ourselves? We say things in our own minds to ourselves that we would NEVER say to someone we love, right? Why do we do this to ourselves?!!
A friend of mine opened up to me recently about how she was being really critical of herself—and I almost thought it was ironic. All of the things she was saying about her body that she didn’t like were things I would KILL to have. Ha!! Like are you kidding me?!
Then it hit me. I was doing the same thing and I didn’t even realize it.
I can be SO critical of myself. I can be in my own inner turmoil and beat myself up. And really, what progress can you make when you are hating on yourself??
We need to just STOP! So this post is for you, wherever you are. If you’re thinking of starting another diet or looking in the mirror and criticizing everything you see, why don’t you just STOP? Why don’t you just take a minute and thank God that you’re even alive. Why don’t you thank God that He loves you enough to let you live another day on this earth. He has given you people who love you and support you. Think of a few of those people right now.
And think of some things you love about yourself…because at the end of the day, and at the end of your life, do you want to miss out on the JOYS in life because you were too worried about what you looked like in a bathing suit? Or worried about what people would think of you because you’ve gained weight? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Our bodies are going to fluctuate. Up 5 pounds, down 5 pounds, even in a mere 24 hours. Can we stop being so critical of ourselves when our bodies change? And can we stop comparing ourselves to what our bodies used to look like? Please and thank you. I need to hear this as much as you do, believe me.
There’s so much more I could say about this, and I will, in posts to come, but for right now, I just want you to say, “Thank You.” Instead of being critical and nit picky today, what are a few things you are thankful for? I’m thankful for so much. God’s grace. His love. My family. My friends. My roommates, my apartment, my new life in California. I am thankful that I’m not the same person I was June of last year. I’m thankful that we never stop growing and we never stop changing. There is always more to do and more to learn and areas to grow in.
We will never fully arrive. Isn’t that nice? There’s so much freedom in that. We never have to fully “arrive.” Ahh…isn’t that refreshing to hear? Doesn’t that just make your neck muscles relax a little bit when you step back and think about that? There is no destination we need to get to. It’s all about the process and the journey….life is always in process.
So, you, beautiful soul, please say thank you today. Stop critiquing your beautiful body that has gotten you to where you are today. The ironic part too is that as much as you are comparing yourself to those around you, people are doing the same thing and comparing themselves to YOU! Just like what I was doing with my friend! So why don’t we just stop? Why don’t we applaud our friends who are doing well and sit and hold the friends that aren’t. Why is life a constant comparison game? You are on your own journey, you are in your own lane and NO ONE ELSE IS YOU. That is the power you hold. There is no one else in the world quite like you, so why are you trying so hard to be someone else?
Be the best version of you. If you feel down on yourself, you probably need to do something to change that. Get your butt to a gym, move to a new state, get a new job, take yourself on a date instead of wishing somebody else would.
NO ONE ELSE IS YOU, you hear me? And that is your power. Live from it.
No more criticizing, not more critiquing. Catch yourself when you do it.
What are you going to say, “Thank You” for today?
E
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