Imagine this. It’s September, and Fall Equinox has just arrived. You think about all the beautiful, warm, cozy things that are attributed to the wonderful season that is autumn. You begin to envision your costume for that Halloween party, taste that amazing mac and cheese your mom will cook, and smell the scent of Christmas sweets and pine trees. Then, you think. “I am going to gain so much weight.”
The holidays are time to be filled with cheer, however, many of us become filled with anxiety about our body image. We’ve worked so hard to maintain an “ideal” body image during the summer months, and now we instantly remorse because we become convinced that our efforts will all go to waste.
Why is that so?
Society has crafted our mindsets to look at our body outside image as the indicator of our health, our worth, and our happiness. We have become slaves to society’s hypercritical views on what’s on the outside.
How can we fix it?
Start at the root by changing the way you view your body. It is not just a display for strangers, friends, and family. It is the temple that your soul inhabits. It houses your incredible sense of humor, your quirks, your drive, your ambition, and your complexity. It is strong – it has enabled you to step over all of life’s rocky terrains. It is beautiful. For every scar and stretch mark and freckle your body has been your first line of defense.
Once you can admire your body for more than how it looks, you can admire the beautiful masterpiece that you are. Just in the way we admire the flawed brush strokes of a painting, admire the “flaws” that your body has. Embrace them. Define them for yourself. Once you accept that your body belongs to you, no one can shape the way you view it, and you can allow the holiday cheer (and it’s amazing cuisine) to fill you up without guilt.
Eat, drink, and be merry!