Skinny

There are more important things in life than to be skinny.

I'm not addressing those who are naturally in a thinner, more toned, or socially advertised body … AKA today’s skinny “ideal.”

I want to be clear, I think all bodies are beautiful and worthy of being celebrated!

I also realize that being in an “ideal” body can also come with it’s own preconceptions, struggles, judgments, and negative backlash.

Today, I am speaking to those of us who aren't naturally what one may refer to as thin, or have struggled to be comfortable and compassionate with their natural physical state.

My whole adolescence and even childhood, I struggled in a #chubby body.

Weight loss and weight gain were the only two stops on my rollercoaster.

I would go to bed at night praying to wake up in a smaller body.

I was self-conscious, shy, introverted, felt “othered,”and resented my genes for not being different.

I thought that if I were skinny …

• … then I would be #happy
• … I would have the confidence to have it all
• … I would be more attractive, desirable, successful, fun, more fashionable, and overall "better"

The lies that #eatingdisorders tell are endless!

It wasn't until I started to work on myself mentally and emotionally, that I discovered that anything I thought was possible in a "skinnier" body was also available to me now.

It was my own thinking that was getting in my way.

I personally discovered this the hard way, when I developed a life threatening eating disorder.

I got to that "thin" or "skinny" version of myself, and I was clinically depressed!

Here are some more dreary things that the Eating Disorder brought along …

• Isolation from friends, family, and loved ones
• Low energy
• Struggling mental capacity
• Lack of focus
• Confusion
• Loss of values
• Irritability
• Poor health
• Low self-image
• Distorted sense of reality
• Obsessive and Compulsive thoughts (and behaviors)
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Missing out on life events and milestones

… The. List. Goes. ON …

I am sharing all this to remind you that there are more important things in life than trying to look a certain way, especially if it is against the natural beauty and uniqueness that you were born with.

I’ll say that again, YOU have a natural beauty, essence, and uniqueness that you offer this world.

Try not to fall into the #traps of #comparison #judgment and #criticism

Try to lift yourself up the way you would a loved one.

We would never talk to others the way we tend to criticize ourselves, so don’t do it to YOURSELF.

Here are some suggestions of what to DETOX your mind from.

• Perfectionism or Photoshop “ideals”
• Self-Criticism
• Negative Self-Talk
• Limiting Beliefs
• Self-Doubt
• Deprivation
• Overindulgence
• Obsessive Thoughts
• Exhaustion
• Peer Pressure

And more …

Detox suggests reduction and elimination, so start today by trying to minimize these damaging behaviors and ways of being!

Stay tuned, and thank you for being here!

Xo,
Ilona