Body Image
Body Bashing Yourself
Stepping on the scale first thing in the morning has the potential to make or break your entire day. If the number is down, you feel hopeful. If the number is the same – or worse up – there goes your day.
It sucks that this stupid device has become so powerful that it tells you how you feel about yourself.
Everywhere, messages are telling us how we as women should look – perfect.
Scrolling The Gram, all you see are your peers in perfect filters. Where’s the acne? Scars? Thick thighs?
The shame about how you look keeps you suffering, afraid of being SEEN.
The thing is – you’re a compassionate person! You’d NEVER bash another person as you do yourself.
Why Diets are Dementors
Diets are the Dementors in Harry Potter – they suck out their victim’s soul and feed on their hope and happiness. Not. A. Fan.
Diets and Dementors are kind of mesmerizing at first. They pull you into believing that starting a diet ignites hope. It doesn’t even matter that you spent half your paycheck on boxed microwavable meals devoid of taste!
One moment, you’re picturing yourself confident in a bikini by summer. Next thing you know, the Diet Dementors are sucking out your soul as you cut out every single ounce of food you’ve ever liked and eat less than your body needs.
As it sucks the life out, you reach that inevitable point of exhaustion and hunger. You break free but feel DEFEATED.
Why do I fail every time??
Hate the Diets, Never the Dieters
We take the blame for diets, but they are the problem – with their pathetic success rate of 5%.
Imagine if the COVID-19 vaccine rate had the same success rate as diets. WE’D BE SCREWED!
It’s hard NOT to seek that Diet Dementor with its false sense of hope. I get it. But they leave you feeling genuinely terrible about yourself. Ashamed and so much worse off than before!
Belly Rolls, Love Handles, and Cellulite
When you stand naked in front of the mirror, it’s all there – the belly rolls that jiggle –the love handles that you hate. You see dimples of cellulite and scars. Starting the day with shame and disgust isn’t a good look.
Your “style” is anything that covers, slims, or hides your body better, whether it’s oversized clothes, dark colors, or MAKE-UP.
Summers in Texas are THE WORST because there’s no way in hell you’re wearing a swimsuit, shorts, or going out without make-up, even though it’ll melt off. It’s embarrassing to wear pants and cardigans when it’s over 100 degrees, but you’re used to it.
You’ve spent ENOUGH of your time and energy hating your body. I get it – the world says women need to look a certain way!
Enough is enough. Life is too short to live like this.
More to Life than Hating Your Body
When I met Alyssa,* she always wore tops a couple of sizes too big in black, grey, dark blue – and always long-sleeve. My heart ached for her as she described the depth of her loneliness and how she would cry on the bathroom floor, numbing her sadness with food.
Alyssa came to therapy because she was disgusted with herself and didn’t know what to do. She knew she was ready to make changes.
Through our therapy sessions, Alyssa’s perception of herself AND her body shifted away from shame and hatred toward acceptance and self-compassion. She released the pain she had been carrying most of her life.
Alyssa started to chat with her co-workers at work instead of hiding. Then, she made some pretty awesome friends. She tried kickboxing – hated it, but felt great trying something new for the first time in forever.
When her friend invited her to an outdoor summer BBQ, she went – in shorts and a cute top with little green cacti on it. She felt so proud of herself for going and wearing clothes she liked.
Strut Your Stuff Like Alyssa
Stop beating yourself up over your outward appearance and get off the dieting hobby horse.
It’s your inner self that counts. Once you accept yourself with compassion, others see the real you, the one on the inside.
Let me help you gain a new body image, the one that reflects the whole you.
Contact me today for a free phone consultation!
*Name changed to protect client confidentiality.