It's Not Worth the Anxiety
I can’t tell you the number
of healthy students I have had cry to me about their body shape.
Beautiful women and men
who deserve to feel really good about themselves
caught in a spiral of negativity.
While I always have compassion for my students
the bottom line is that
WHAT WE LOOK LIKE I
S NOT THAT IMPORTANT.
It’s not worth the anxiety.
The practice is mentally changing the subject
when those superficial self loathing thoughts creep in.
Just acknowledge them
and then gently but firmly steer your mind
in the direction of gratitude.
Start simple:
“I can walk”- amazing!
“I can breathe”-amazing!
“I get to go to yoga”-amazing!!!
And if there is someone
who makes you feel badly about
putting on a little weight
Eff that!
That’s them pushing their values,
control issues and whatever else on to you.
It’s silliness, ignore it.
I know it’s not always easy, but don’t give up.
The longer you’ve been body shaming yourself
The longer it will take to rewrite
those thought patterns
Practice, practice, practice.
As a teen I suffered from body image issues
and the solution wasn’t
in blaming myself, my parents or society.
It was in gaining perspective.
The world is entitled to their opinions
and I’m entitled to choose happiness.
My weight and body shape fluctuates a bit
but so what?
Looking good isn’t number one.
Giving back to my community,
celebrating life with my friends and family
those are my priorities.
Eat, drink and be merry.
I do my best to exercise moderation
but sometimes it’s hard so I put on weight.
Then after a period of indulgence
I’ll shift to smaller dinners and fewer carbs
and I lean out.
Bottom line is that I am happy and
fit enough to be able to do yoga
and party with my loved ones.
Life is good.
If you want to worry,
there are real problems out there
the world is a scary place for some people.
Volunteer in a soup kitchen, or an AIDS clinic,
do something to give back
it boosts self-esteem and grants perspective.
Truth is I don't always love what I look like,
but I've got better things to do
then to worry about it.
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