Confidence and self love have never come easy to me. And I know that I am not alone in this struggle. I spend too much time comparing myself to others, analyzing my rolls and other things that I don't like about my body in the mirror. Always wanting to be more toned and less chubby. This has grately affected my anxiety and depression over the years. And once again, I know that I am not alone.
That is why I post this picture. I love this picture.
Even though you can see my "thunder thighs" in all their glory and the rolls in my belly that I am generally so ashamed of.
I am learning, or, relearning how to love myself. And how to take care of myself. As well as looking for ways to help other women learn to love themselves, ways to help support them.
I'm always told, "well stop eating that" or "start doing this." I know those things, I do not need to be reminded of what I might be doing wrong. What I do need, what all women (and men, yes men struggle with body image issues too!) need is support. If they want to go to the gym, offer to go with them or ask if they would like a reminder. If they feel they need to see a nutritionist, offer to help them find one. Support will always help more than any form of critism. Because believe me, we're already criticising ourselves.
So whether you are hating your rolls or wishing you could find a way to put on a few pounds. That is ok, it's ok to want to make changes. But don't forget to love yourself in the process. Make those changes for you, not for someone else. Or don't, just enjoy life. And just try to live it healthy, you only get one body. Don't hate it, learn to love it. For it tells the story, of your struggles and triumphs. It tells that you've lived đź’ś
(I feel terrible for forgetting earlier, but the credit for this amazing photo and inspiration for this post is the absolutely amazing @auriastorm)
