I am the heaviest I have been in my entire life. Of course, I want to blame the pandemic. However, that was only part of the issue. It has been quite a year, and not taking good care of myself has contributed significantly to where I am today. I have been struggling with insomnia, and not having an appetite has caused me to forget to eat.
When I decided to focus on myself, the transition was not easy, and I still had challenging days. So I decided to focus on things that were easy to work on; this balanced working on the tough stuff. And so I focused on my skin, my appearance, my health, my space, etc.
I would look in the mirror and get depressed, put on an item of clothing, look in the mirror and say yuck. I started experiencing acne breakouts again, which did not help the situation. Put that together with the fact that I felt no desire to get dressed, and it became not such an ideal situation. I was often unkind to myself, I found myself comparing myself to others, and I did not like the stories I was telling myself; they were not pretty.
I felt stuck and lost. I did not know the next step, but I knew I had to do something. So I first started challenging myself to say something kind every time I looked in the mirror. Then, I began to focus on being grateful for what I have and where I am. And I started reading anything I could find on body positivity. But the true victory came when I accepted where I am right now and decided that although my body, etc., is not where I would like it to be right now, I would make an effort to love and appreciate myself every day and every step of the way.
Emma reminded me that “Beauty isn’t about being perfect; it’s about loving yourself.” It is about embracing your body, accepting and taking care of it.
Your body is one of the most important things you have.
Here is a collection of Embrace your Body Quotes that Emma compiled to inspire and motivate you.
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
“Your words have so much power. Every day, if you tell yourself ‘I love you,’ if you give yourself one word of validation, it will change your mind.”
— Ashley Graham
“No amount of self-improvement can make up for any lack of self-acceptance.”
— Robert Holden
“Most important, in order to find real happiness, you must learn to love yourself for the totality of who you are and not just what you look like.”
— Portia de Rossi
“The most important day is the day you decide you’re good enough for you. It’s the day you set yourself free.”
— Brittany Josephina
“Loving your body is about being comfortable in your body, and only you get to set the parameters of that. Only you get to decide what that looks like, and only you know where the finish line is. Never let anyone make you feel ashamed about what you decide, or don’t decide, to put on your body.”
— Brittany Gibbons
“Step away from the mean girls and say bye-bye to feeling bad about your looks. Are you ready to stop colluding with a culture that makes so many of us feel physically inadequate? Say goodbye to your inner critic, and take this pledge to be kinder to yourself and others.”
— Oprah
“Confidence is the only key. I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.”
— Emma Stone
“Knowing that I feel good because I am being diligent about taking care of myself mentally, physically, and emotionally creates self-esteem.”
— Chrissy Metz
“By speaking of ourselves in a positive and affirmative fashion and finding ways to eradicate self-hate, by speaking kindly about ourselves and those around us, we can foster a sense of love and compassion powerful enough to restructure our society’s entire perspective of body-love.”
— Jessamyn Stanley
Comment below and share your favorite quote for body love.
Introduction written by Nat and quotes compiled by Emma.