Sincerely, I have never succeeded in keeping a body resolution that feels good to the very core of my being.
I spent most of my childhood at my parents’ house, devouring scrumptious food and munching on lip-smacking desserts, snacking on everything lying around, playing board games, and snacking at midnight to cope up with life. This kind of relatively calm affair is worth noting. I agree! You’re right! It’s typical.
During the pandemic, having gone through a rough month filled with constant inner change and lack of self-esteem, I prepared fried rice, drank mojitos, read poetry, and journaled a few nights ago. I went to bed at 11 o’clock only to wake up with overwhelming anxiety and restlessness.
Like everyone else, I make resolutions every year that I hold on to like a beacon of hope and set myself up for failure and disappointment. However, what if I told you that I dislike how people make their new year’s resolutions about eating healthy and losing weight in order to be “happy” and not healthy. Sadly, happiness is not determined by size or shape, as there would be no unhappy people with a perfect body.
Here are some ideas and affirmations to help you grow mentally, particularly if you are interested in a positive body image, healthy lifestyle, and happiness. I have 10, in fact.
- Exercise is just one part of self-care. My esteem should not solely be determined by my waist circumference. I will only join a gym if walking on a treadmill or running on an elliptical speaks to my soul. Otherwise, I’ll find ways to move my body that satisfy my being, well beyond the endorphin rush associated with physical exertion. How about running?
- Keeping a scale in the house will be a thing of the past since I believe that number tells me nothing about my health or happiness. Someday, maybe I’ll throw my scale completely out (or smash it to pieces -talk about crazy fun).
- I will eat in moderation and in a way that feels good to me, and sometimes this includes eating ice cream, fries, and Nutella. Hello, cheat day!
- Oh my god! It’s time to stop thinking about my self-worth as being based on how ‘good’ or ‘healthy’ or ‘raw’ my meal was the night before. Let me live.
- If I want to order food, I’ll order it – not out of obligation or compulsion.
- I will remind my family and friends to live in a way that soothes their soul, so they can both be healthy and happy.
- Never will I talk negatively about food or my own body (or that of others), especially in front of children – and I won’t let others do it either. Rather than using my body as a measure of comparison (as in “If you think I’m huge, then I am probably a whale”), I would instead use this as a source of inspiration with “I love my body, but it sure can be healthier.”
- I will listen to my body when it tells me that it needs rest – even if I still want to work out. In fact, I’ll start listening to my body so fully that I’ll even take more mental health days off my chart every week. The more gratitude I cultivate for my body and how it keeps me alive, the better I feel about myself.
- I shouldn’t put pressure on myself to achieve body positivity. Perhaps I would be better off choosing body neutrality instead.
- After a year of working on myself, I hope that I can pass on these ideas to others, causing a ripple effect that will change the world.
