Have you ever looked in the mirror and didn’t admire what you saw? Have you ever been out and felt that everyone is staring? and not in a good way? Have you lost friends because your body has changed? Yes? I know the feeling!
Sometimes those close to us will tell us “You are beautiful” and we simply don’t believe it. Sometimes all it takes is a stranger or old friend to say it to you, for you to actually believe it. Today, I am going to be that stranger, or maybe to some… an old friend.
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! YOU ARE SIMPLY GORGEOUS!
Let me share something with you. Most of my teen years I was fairly “skinny” I remember gaining some stress weight in matric but not enough to make much of a difference. Even though I’ve always been an introvert I felt good about myself. I had lots of friends, well if you can call them that. But then things changed… I reached my early twenties and gained some weight. I felt so insecure that I wouldn’t leave the house. Nothing fit me, I felt like people were always staring, and I felt ugly. It remained that way for years and I couldn’t make any new friends because I was isolating myself from the world. Fast forward a few years, I started Keto and got into the best shape of my life – yet I still wasn’t happy. I remember being out with family and going to the beach and I cried because I felt ugly in my bathing suite. I covered up and I don’t remember having much fun that day. If I look at those photo’s now I think to myself I actually looked good, maybe a bit too skinny for my liking now. A few months later I got married, went on honeymoon and came back 5kg heavier. That threw me off! I just let myself go from there, and now I’m in the same situation that I was a few years back. Not wanting to leave the house for anything and crying myself to sleep because my body doesn’t look the way I want it too. Oh! I forgot to mention… I have binge eating disorder, so when I’m stressed or feeling a bit emotional… food is my best friend, it’s like I can’t stop. I look at myself and feel disgusting! But an old friend reminded me that I am beautiful anyway. It look a long time for me to actually believe it, but once I did, I felt a bit better. Because, what I realised is, no matter my weight I am still me, I think I’m funny in a weird way, I care deeply for animals, I try and be the best wife and older sister, and for some reason my family really loves me! So why am I so hung up on the way I look? That’s unfortunately the world we live in, where looks are more important than who you are at your core. But let me tell you something, if you are a good person, good personality and you try to be the best version of yourself everyday, then my friend YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! forget about society norms! You are beautiful, say it with me! “I am beautiful” put a smile on that pretty face and the next time you look in the mirror, you tell yourself you love what you see, the next time you walk out that door, do so with confidence.
How you look does not define you, it’s what is inside that does!
Weight issues can really mess with your mental health well being, and if it does, talk to someone about it, don’t suffer in silence. The world needs your beauty! Don’t hide it
Until next time, remember, you are beautiful, you are worth it, and you are loved!
xx
Your new bestie