I have so much to say about this topic, yet I feel like my voice is always silenced when it comes up.
Here is the crux of it. Because I am slim and of slender build my opinion, when it comes to weight and/or body issues, is seen as null and void. I mean, what issues could I possibly have standing 1.79m tall and weighing in at (always somewhere around) 66kg? Having a slim body type solves all your other problems, right? One can dream, yes.
I also have days where I feel fat and ugly. But because I'm seen as not fat, my feelings are reduced to not worthy of anyone's sympathy or support. I feel like I can see people rolling their eyes as they are reading this. I'm going to shake that feeling and push through.
It took me a long time to fully accept and love this body and I am proud to have been able to arrive at a place where, despite my feeling-fat-days, I can look in the mirror and say, " It's okay, feel as fat as you want, I'm going to keep on loving you and keep on taking care of you".
I don't smoke, I enjoy exercise, I eat moderately healthy, and I definitely consume alcohol. Why do I mention this? Because for me to get to this place where I confidently can say I accept my body took some mind shifts, truth-facing, and adjustments. I'm hoping by now something is resonating with you.
My whole family is smokers. My main motivation behind not choosing to be a smoker? I do not want premature wrinkles around my mouth. (Also, when I was 5 or 6 years old my great gran made me promise I would never smoke). But, genetically, I don't have skin that ages with the grace of Sophia Loren. I need to do what I can to take care of it.
Exercise keeps me sane; it is a tool I use to help me process emotions, I don't think I will ever stop exercising.
I used to eat tubs of Nutella. I love chocolate. I love sweet things. But keeping in mind that I am getting older, and my metabolism is slowing, I try not to have it for breakfast anymore. I will never deprive myself (deprivation is not self-love), but I will practice moderate consumption.
I have also reviewed my reasons for drinking alcohol. I realised I was using alcohol as a coping mechanism and once the realisation hit, I knew I had to adjust. Having a history of alcoholics in the family did serve as some motivation.
I had to accept that despite my adjustments and best attempts at looking after myself, there is still nothing I can do about having an auto-immune disease. It’s not life-threatening now, but there is always the possibility of it escalating.
So yes, I am tall and slender, but this package, just like everyone else's comes with its own hang-ups, which deserves acknowledgement, just like everyone else's.
Please don't think anybody has a perfect body. What makes anybody's body close to perfect is how they take care of it as best they can, how they accept it and then decide to love it, even on days when it feels like it is betraying you.
Please don't envy anyone else's body. Listen and support others when they have those off days but love your own.
Accept. Embrace. Love.
Insightful! ❤️