“People shop for a bathing suit with more care than they do a husband or wife, but the rules are the same… Look for something you’ll feel comfortable wearing and allow for room to grow.” ~ Erma Bombeck
EEK it’s bathing suit season! But wait… I’m still pudgy and pale! I had dreams of losing my last 30 pounds before summer vacation, but alas… I still have 25 more pounds to go.
That being said, I can’t lie. My pants might literally catch on fire if I said I didn’t enjoy shopping for bathing suits this summer. For the first time in my life, I found a bathing suit that I was comfortable and not at all self-conscious in.
The day after I purchased my first bathing suit of the season, I started to think back… was there ever a time when I didn’t feel self-conscious in a bathing suit?
I thought long and hard. I wanted to blame my mom for my overly self-conscious mindset… I listened to her criticize herself year after year… I picked up on the way she talked about herself and found myself doing the same… after all, I look exactly like her.
I came to realize, my problem wasn’t because of my mom… it was just a matter of growing up and being more aware of social stigmas. I was never self-conscious about anything until the girl in 7th grade told me I was “fat.” I was blissfully ignorant before then.
I’ve always been a big believer in the fact that you can learn a lot from children. Whether it’s not being self-conscious, being a dare devil (to a certain degree) or by learning to let go of the past… children really do teach us.
I often find myself wishing that I could get back that “child-like” vigor and love of self. It seems as we grow older we focus more on what others think about us than what we think of ourselves. It shouldn’t be that way. If we are happy and healthy, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up to get from a size 12 to a size 2.
I began my weight loss journey not because I wanted to make others happy, I did it because even though my family and boyfriend thought I was wonderful and beautiful, I just wasn’t happy with my lack of energy and my poor health condition. Now, please do not get me wrong, I LOVE when people I haven’t seen in a while see me and are in total shock… but that’s not my goal. My goal is to be happy with myself so that one day when I have children, I can project a positive self-image and hopefully keep my kids from growing into a self-conscious wreck.
This bathing suit season, I challenge you (and myself) to let go of all the negative body image issues, relax and enjoy. Be like your children… care-free. You’ll enjoy yourself a lot more that way.
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Provided by Newtown Bee
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