HEALTHY MIND; HEALTHY LIFE
You think you’re a loser? You think you’re not good enough? You think you are far behind? You think your progress is too slow? You think why try? I still get caught in these nonsense negative thoughts at times. Why is it that we brutally criticize ourselves more than anybody else ever would? Do we think we have to? Do we believe we deserve the punishment? Do we think it will somehow make us better? Do we believe we are protecting ourselves by inflicting shame before anyone else could? Does that make us feel in control? The truth is I personally identify with all of the above. But I’m also challenging myself to change decades of wrong and hurtful thinking.
I hated myself on the left. It had nothing to do with my weight. I hated myself equally on the right. It had nothing to do with my weight. I’m learning to love every ounce of myself in the middle. It has nothing to do with my weight. Being healthy is so much more than an appearance. Being healthy starts in your mind and I believe is always a result of your thoughts, which lead to behaviors.
Healthy does not equal:
- Perfection
- Not needing support
- Pressure to succeed
- Always being happy
- Having to say “yes”
- Boring or average
- A problem free life
- Superhuman
Healthy does equal:
- Independence
- Your best life
- Positive attention
- Realistic success and goals
- Having bad days
- Saying “no” when needed
- Not always being the best
- Good enough
These are things I must remind my own self of. I used to be so afraid to recover and be healthy because I feared it meant I’d have no excuse to fail and I’d have to live up to all my unrealistic standards. No way! Healthy is about letting go. It’s about valuing yourself, your life and what makes you happy. Forget comparison. Forget what others are doing. Forget societal pressure. Forgive yourself for not being kinder to you. Look how far you’ve come. You have this one life. You are good enough solely because you exist! Now let’s start loving who we are this moment, appreciating our progress and look forward to how beautiful our future is. ~Britt