Hey!
I hope you all had a fantastic summer! Hopefully, you were able to get some sun, some salt water and a whole lot of relaxing and recharging! For me, my favorite places involve sand and surf but this summer I got to do some incredible hiking in the great Colorado mountains and that was amazing too!
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Today I want to talk a little bit about self love… if you just did an involuntary cringe, stick with me.
There is a lot of chatter about self love out there, and I don’t know about you, but sometimes it begins to stress me out. Why? Because (full disclosure) I don’t always love myself. Yup, you heard it here first folks! Some days, I just don’t. On those days, I heap a double dose of self loathing because I begin to feel guilty that I don’t love myself because everyone says I should love myself and some days I don’t and gosh darn it what is wrong with me?? So, I am here to say -it’s okay, it’s all ok. Take a deep breath, or five and remind yourself – it’s all part of the human experience!
So, if there are days that you are just not feeling it when it comes to self love, let the thought pass. Picture it drifting by like a car that drives past the front of your house or a chipmunk that scampers past you in a park. If you find that you have more days of self hatred than self love then don’t grasp for self love and beat yourself up when you can’t seem to get there. You will, eventually.
In the meantime, try for body respect. You can respect your arms even if you don’t love the jiggle. You can respect your thighs, and pull on a pair of biker shorts, even if you don’t like the way they rub. And if you are in a place where even body respect seems too hard, know that we have all been there and you are not alone. Wrap your arms around yourself and give yourself a big ol’ hug. Speak to your self as you would a friend or a child. Imagine a first grader came up to you in tears because someone called her a bad name or told her her hair was messy. What would you say to her? Repeat those words to yourself.
At first glance, it can be tempting to turn to food as comfort because food is often love. Food is the physical symbol of nurturing and food can feel very comforting. But, we can mother ourselves without food. We can offer ourselves comfort in the form of words and respect.
If you are consistently using food (or the next best diet) as a coping skill, ask yourself if this is the best way you can care for yourself. Maybe it’s the only way you know how to comfort yourself or maybe it is an old habit that no longer serves you. Either way it might be time to, “let go of the log.” “The Log” is a wonderful metaphor for holding on to something that may have saved you previously but is now just holding you back. Anita Johnston has created this idea and I think it is perfect! Her Youtube video, about the log metaphor, is here. Check it out: Anita Johnston.
In this video, she is speaking about the log as an eating disorder, but your log could be anything that served you at one time but is now holding you back. My husband is a workaholic, it bothers me because I can see how spending more time at the office isn’t always the best way to deal with stuff, and yet, it’s his “go to”. I had told him about the log metaphor the other day and this morning when he was telling me about how he had to get to the office super early because he had so much to do, I stage whispered, “let go of the log.” He smiled because it struck a cord, he still left for the office super early because hey, he’s human but with any luck he will head out a little early this afternoon.
If you have been using dieting or food as your log and you are ready to let go, schedule a discovery call to see how I can help you!
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A discovery call is a great way to ask questions and help you decide if I am the right dietitian for you.