Love The Skin You’re In

My Journey to Being Body Positive

For as long as I can remember I have struggled with seeing my body positively. From being a young girl who developed to be very voluptuous at an early age, and being called fat, to becoming a teen mom and experiencing the changes that pregnancy causes at the age of 18. I never saw my body as beautiful, I could just see the scars or the things that in my eyes were burdens rather than beauty and no matter how much others would tell me differently I didn’t see it.

Fast Forward to the new era of Social Media where the Perception of Perfection Consumes our lives. I would constantly compare myself to the Instagram Models or even my Friends who may have the ” perfect body”. This began to affect my personal social and even my mother daughter relationship. I didn’t want to go anywhere avoiding friends family even taking pictures with my daughter was a hard thing to do. Constantly trying to figure out how I would pay for surgery, because I just knew that that would make me feel better.

In 2017 as I am driving my daughter to school in conversation she tells me how sad it makes her that I am so mean to myself and that I am hard to be around. This was not my first time hearing this but it was the first time I heard it. In searching online it was evident that I Suffered from what is called Body Dysphoria Disorder.

My body Issues have become a huge part of my Journey to living and being more positive. Instead of looking and feeling bad about my flaws I began to tell my self how beautiful I am and that if anyone didn’t like my body the way it was that was their problem and not mine. I have also started to do what is known as mind shifting, for everything in my life including my body image. No I still don’t Love my stretch marks but I accept them as apart of me, my story and I love me exactly the way I am. I struggle with my weight so I do my best to stay consistent in the gym eat 85% healthy, but the best thing I ever did for myself is to be nicer to myself.

Instead of calling myself fat I looked in the mirror and would say I am fluffy but I’m still cute “lol”.
Be conscious of your thoughts pray on them and replace any negative with something positive. example- replace “my lips are huge” with “these are the lips people pay for mine are God given”
On the days I maybe wasn’t feeling my best I intentionally made my self feel better by getting dressed put on some makeup (red lipstick always works for me).
I stopped being so hard on myself when I fell off in the gym, instead I would set a date and get back on my stuff and stick to it.
Get up get dressed go out with friends enjoy being who you are without worrying about something minor like someone having a flatter stomach than you.
Instead of hating or comparing yourself to those other women complement that woman as crazy as it may sound you will feel better after trust me. (we are all insecure about something you might help them that day).

Recently I went on vacation with some girlfriends to Mexico during my trip I wore 2 piece bathing suits for the first time and I felt so comfortable not worrying about my stretch marks showing or the extra skin I have on my stomach from pregnancy and years of losing and gaining weight. When I came back home my daughter said to me “mom I loved all your pictures you looked so confident and I know how hard it has been in the past to show your body, I’m proud of you”. She was right and I also felt proud of myself I have come along way from insecure girl/woman I used to be and I am so much happier.