How do you practice self-acceptance and find unconditional love for yourself?
This is the question for this month's BlogHer's Life Well Lived panel. It is not something that has always come easily for me. I was painfully shy all through school. I think a big part of being shy is not being confident in yourself and caring too much about what other people think. When I got to college, things changed for me. I realized that we are all more alike than different. There was no longer the cool kids. There was just kids.
I got to reinvent myself. I realized that I could be whoever I wanted to be. I also realized that I am as good as anyone. I stopped criticizing myself. I started to try more activities and succeeding in them. I became more confident.
Another big barrier for self acceptance for me was coming to terms with my body. I knew pregnancy would change my body. I just didn't know how much it would change. My perky C cups became ginormous G cups when I breastfeed. Now that I'm done with breastfeeding, let's just say they are less perky and somewhere in between the two cup sizes.
I am struggling with Hashimoto's disease and losing weight. I wrote about it recently here. While I struggle with the changes the disease has brought, I also have to find a way to love my body the way it is now. I had to change my thinking. Instead of seeing my breasts as saggy, I look at them and remember how they nursed 2 babies for the first year of their lives. I see those healthy,strong kids running around and I am thankful. When I look at my bigger waist line, I remember how it was the babies home for 9 months each. I try not to focus on how my thighs touch but on how they are strong and ran on the treadmill 5 miles this morning. I try to focus on the amazing things my body can do.
I'm not perfect. I have my bad days where things get to me. Overall, accepting myself has made me a happier person.Check out more blogs for more thoughts and advice on the Life Well Lived site. While you are there, make sure you enter the Life Well Lived sweepstakes for a chance to win a Kindle Fire.
7 comments:
Awwwwwwwwww I love this so much! I especially adore the second paragraph! I've been out of the loop as far as visiting blogs, concentrating most of my time on my zen blog now. Thanks for coming to visit my blog today, and I'm glad I got to read this! :o)
Lovely post and so true...what an excellent example. Have a great weekend.
Tiffany
Oh such a good post! For myself I have to stop with the negative self talk.... and I love your can do it attitude:)
I like you too :-)
Oh yes- the struggles we all face. I think that if we all realized that we are not the only ones going through this & that & just find comfort in knowing that others are feeling the same way- we might learn to lighten up on ourselves!
soo true, it is easy to keep bad talking ourselves when we shoudl be embracing life...easier to say than do!! great piece. stopping by from blogher well lived group
Love the other way of looking at yourself -- the positive over thinking anything negative. I am seriously going to start doing this more with everything in life!
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