Story by Hannah
Welcome to the 21st century where social media has become the standard for how we should live our lives, what trends to be on top of, and, most importantly, how to look. Scrolling through your social media feeds you have probably encountered accounts full of people who are vastly different from you-and that’s ok! What is not okay is becoming so fixated on becoming an insta-copy that you begin to lose your authentic self in search of social validation or belonging.
Look in the mirror. Who you see staring back at you is a person who is worthy, who is loved, and who is deserving. Owning your everyday can be hard, but don’t look at it as a daunting task. For me, it has been a learning curve. It has been a process through which I have had to unlearn every hateful, malicious, and wrong thing that either I or someone else has said about me or my body. It has been doing daily mantras in the mirror when I first wake up stating every positive thing that I could ever say to myself in that moment. It has been teaching myself to get into the habit of praising my body for what it can do instead of focusing on all the things it cannot. It has been unlearning the lies diet culture has sold me and instead rejoicing in each bite of food that I eat restriction free.
The biggest thing I have had to teach myself by far, is how to give myself grace. The simple act of allowing myself the space to live freely and invite in the mess of life has opened my heart and my mind up to the unique experience of self-love and body positivity.
I truly believe the first step towards body positivity is allowing yourself grace.
The grace to show up as you are, even if your house is a mess and all you could find to wear are two-day-old sweats and the shirt you slept in. Even if you ate pizza and you’re bloated. Even if you didn’t have the time to put on makeup or do your hair the way you wanted.
The grace to make mistakes. The only perfect there ever could be is an illusion of the reality going on around you.
The grace to declutter. This doesn’t just apply to your belongings; it applies to every aspect of your life. Declutter your social media feeds and replace the accounts that spark negativity within you with ones that inspire you.
The grace to do the things you love to do. Whatever hobby you enjoy, and I mean truly enjoy, do that! Gardening, comic book collecting, reading, bird watching, seriously there are no wrong answers here!
The grace to eat. What seems like a no brainer can spark anxiety in some. Give yourself permission to eat and enjoy the foods you love, and you crave! Intuitively eating will allow you to hop off the diet culture hamster wheel and will replace diet mentality with being able to master your own body and its hunger cues.
The grace to unlearn. As I previously stated, unlearning all the negative connotations you have with your body is not an easy task. I would be lying if I said there wasn’t days when I found myself clouded by negative judgement. What is important is to refocus your mind on a positive.
The grace to learn. Much like unlearning, this too will take time. However, don’t let that discourage you from learning new behaviors and habits that ultimately have your best interest in mind. The process of learning and unlearning can be extremely painful and triggering. The best way to do this, in my experience, has been to unpack things slowly with a trusted friend or a therapist.
Owning your everyday is a culmination of grace. Grace can be used in almost every aspect of your life if you allow it to. I’m not saying it will be easy, but I am saying it will be worth it.
I want to emphasize the fact that body positivity is a journey, and one you are likely to be on for the rest of your life if you choose. Embrace the change and know that everyone’s journey is going to look different from your own. Do not be discouraged if growth doesn’t come quickly, take things at a slower pace, and know that the change will come when your heart and mind are ready.
Respect those who are struggling with themselves, and just like you give yourself grace, give them the grace to make their own decisions and own their everyday too.
-Hannah
babeswhoball.com 