Real Talk: Body Positivity is Hard

I've sat here watching my cursor blink for approximately 15 minutes now. Usually, when I write these monthly updates, the experience is enjoyable. I love pondering different topics and researching and writing encouraging words. But this month's theme is Eating Disorders and Body Image - two things that many of us (my hand is raised) can acknowledge has been a part of our story in one way or another. This one feels complicated.

Why is it so hard to accept our bodies as they are?

Our culture is intertwined with fatphobia and thin privilege. We're motivated by getting our steps in and counting our macros. We're obsessed with "bouncing back" after having a baby and putting on our wedding dresses years after the wedding to prove we're still the same size. Well, I, for one, am not the same size as I was when I got married 17 years ago, and while I'm actually not entirely ok with that, I want to be.

I want to love my body and appreciate it for bringing my three children into the world. I want to be grateful for how my heart pumps every day, regardless of how I nourish myself. I want to remember the miraculous ways I've fought illnesses and anxiety, laughed, cried, and lived.

Want to join me in finding gratitude instead of judgment today? I've got a lot of unlearning to do in this area. Perhaps, little by little, we can begin to hold compassion for our bodies, not "two years from now" when we reach an unattainable goal weight, but today, exactly as we are right now.