The Struggles Within

I’m not sure about you, but for me this was one of the most powerful pictures I’ve seen depicting the struggles within.

“My thighs are too big.  My muscles are too small.  My booty sticks out too much.  My abs aren’t visible enough.  My…” the list goes on and on.

The struggles within are real.  Everyday, on television, magazines, newspapers, social media, even in stores we shop in regularly, weight stigma is displayed right before our eyes.  For some, they shrug it off nonchalantly.  Others look inwardly and think to themselves, “If I could just lose __lbs then I’d look like them.  If I could just get more bulk to my muscles then people would turn their eyes on me.”  Again, the list goes on and on.

What if life wasn’t meant to be like this?  What if people didn’t see models, pornography, or other things that gave them notions in their head that “If only.”  Or,” If I could just.”  Or, “When I attain that I’ll look better.” ideas.

Today, I’m here to tell you that life is NOT supposed to be this way!!!  What’s interesting is I say this and many will hear it but not believe it to be true for themselves.  To those individuals, I’ll tell you it’s a process.  Please, start to believe it before your life heavily evolves around physique and body image.  Striving for “perfection” (which we next to never attain) comes at a cost.  Is it really worth the cost?

People tend to relate to stories shared and in regards to a hefty subject like this one, I think it’s important to share my experiences.  Body image was something that I never really thought about.  I was the shy girl that liked to wear clothes that didn’t show my curves or, draw attention to me.  As I hit junior high and entered puberty I was still the same way.  In high school I finally wore V-neck shirts (very modest ones mind you) and jeans that were not just Levi’s.  (Don’t you just LOVE those good ole Levi jeans!?!  Oops, I just dated myself, kinda!)  Anyways, by the time high school rolled about many of my peers were beginning to think they shouldn’t eat too much or they’d gain weight.  Some didn’t think twice about what they ate.  And others were obsessed with exercise and would eat whatever they wanted because they’d just “work it off”.

So why am I sharing this?  I’m sharing it to depict that we were exposed to body image, and our relationship with food from a young age.  It was ingrained into us and now today we more than likely have changed a bit or a lot, but we still have thoughts and images not only in our brains, but displayed before us more times than we can count in any given day.

So where does all of what I’ve shared bring us?  It brings us to the reality that we ALL are affected by body image to some degree or another.  Some individuals brush it off because they truly don’t care what people think.  Others may do the exact opposite and become obsessive about exercise and weight.  Yet others find a happy medium where they respect their own body image and try to maintain it.  I’m not here to tell you what is right or wrong.  In fact, YOU are the only one that can do that.

Body Image and our relationship with food are coincided.  We literally can’t look at one without the other.  WHY have we become the way we are?  What choices have we made or not made to get us where we are today?

Some people are smaller than others.  Some people are bit more bulky.  Some are stronger.  Some are leaner.  We are ALL unique individuals and we shouldn’t try to look like that model, that person, or ____.  We need to find a healthy medium for ourselves and begin to respect, love, and be okay with who we are.  That being said, we need to make choices that are life enhancing for us in order to promote these aspects.

Everyday people are struggling all over the world.  My question for all of us, “Can we look inside of ourselves and open our eyes to the things that we may be struggling with?”  Do we really want to change what is holding us back from becoming more healthy and whole?  Do we want to truly understand why we think we should lose weight to wear that size ___?  Are we ready to gain weight that would actually help us to become more healthy?  These are questions for all people to ask.  There is no right or wrong answer.  But there are questions that have answers.  Are we willing to look, dig deep, think, and really reflect on?

Here at Helping Hands we have two Health Coaches that can help you do just this.  If you are struggling and want to make changes in your life you may want to SERIOUSLY consider having a Personal Health Coach.  We’ll help you transform and empower you to become more healthy and whole, all the while allowing you endless opportunities to really search your soul for answers to these questions.

You deserve every opportunity for health and a great relationship with your body.  Your body is the only place to live, so why not give it your best to allow it just that!?

If you are interested in more information about Health Coaching please call 320-839-6190.  If someones you know is struggling PLEASE share this blog post with them.  Allow them the chance to take a step in healing, self-respect for their body, and an opportunity to make LASTING changes in their life.

And to you the reader, thank you for taking the time to read.  Thank you for taking the time to seriously think about your relationship with food and body image.  If you would like to drop a comment about struggles you’ve overcome or currently battle, we would enjoy hearing from you.  Thank you for being honest and real.

As we each go forth with this day I hope that we’ll each become more mindful and respectful of what we do, put into, and think about our body.  You ARE beautiful.  There is no one on this earth like you, and that in and off itself is reason to celebrate!  Have a beautiful day and keep your chin up!