The overarching theme for February here at YBC is loving yourself. Loving yourself in all facets of your life - physically, emotionally, spiritually - just taking extra time to do whatever it is you need to do to feel good. I firmly believe that you can't pour from an empty cup. So you need to tend to yourself often. Daily.
In the past, we've discussed self-care and body image, and today I want to talk about self talk.
Too often, we pick ourselves apart. We'll stare into the mirror and over-examine. This doesn't look right, that's ugly, this freckle shouldn't be here, that roll sticks out.
Why do we do that to ourselves? Why are we extra mean to ourselves?
Someone once said the most incredible thing to me. I was working on my snatch lift, and I was getting so frustrated and I kept saying awful things. "I'm so f#ck!ng bad at this. I'll never get this down! I suck."
"Stop," he said. "Imagine that all your thoughts are projected over a loudspeaker for this entire gym to hear. Would you still say them?"
Well that stopped me in my tracks.
Similarly, the things I nitpick myself about, I would never, ever nitpick in others. Why do I hold myself to a higher, impossible standard than others?
So today I want to do what we've been conditioned not to do: I want to silence insecurities and instead speak about the things we love about ourselves. It's easy to identify what we admire in others, but what if we just took a minute to talk about what we love and admire about ourselves without concern about sounding conceited. And without concern about whether or not anyone else likes the things we like about ourselves? Just say them. Validate them.
I'll go first. You go in the comments section, k?
I have this freckle on my upper lip that I really like. I like the shape of my eyes and the wrinkles my nose makes when I scrunch it up when making a funny face. I really like my hair, which I am finally - in my thirties - learning how to style.
I like the fact that, for the most part (save for the occasional snatch meltdown), I'm okay with being a beginner in whatever I start doing, and I don't mind looking ridiculous. Actually, I kind of go out of my way to be ridiculous because I like to laugh and make other people laugh.
I am thankful for how dedicated I am to the things that are important to me like eating well, optimal gut health, working out, my job. I am proud of my tenacity when it comes to work. Years ago, I decided to approach my business endeavors less with expectations and more with an attitude of, "Well, if anything's possible, let's just see what I can do if I give it my all." I love that, because it took the pressure off, but also made a lot of dreams realities, like writing a book and scheduling retreats in places I've only ever dreamed of.
I like that I am able to connect with lots of different types of people, and I like that I am prone to constant self-evaluation, reflection, and eagerness to make changes so I can grow.
Your turn. What do you love and admire about yourself?
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