Anyway, when I got home from my vacation, I found myself panicking. I caught myself thinking about monitoring my food intake and working out really hard. I even went as far as pressuring myself to lose some weight by that weekend. Hello!!! It was Tuesday!!! Yep, three days, ladies, that’s all I was going to give myself! Talk about an ENORMOUS red flag. I had just walked in the door from an amazing and magical time spent with the people I love the most in my life and I was ruining the memory of my vacation by sitting in fear about my body. I was literally ‘freaking out’ as I like to describe it. I was buying into the insanity and, as usual, the return on my investment would have been brutal!
I wasted a couple of days panicking about my body but I was able to bring myself out of the insanity quite quickly. Sure I had gained some weight. BIG DEAL! I quit smoking! I went on a family vacation! And even if that hadn’t been the case, freaking out was only going to magnify the situation. I was clearly setting myself up to participate in my old vicious circle. I was setting myself up to fail; to judge myself; to be mean to myself and to place conditions on my self-love. This is NOT a game I can win. I know that. I’ve done this so many times. Even if I could lose weight in three days (cause believe me, I’ve done it) I knew what it would require: HARD CORE RIGIDITY. I reminded myself (for the hundredth time) what needed to be done; how this particular situation needed to be handled.
It is SO TRUE! We need to do something a HUNDRED TIMES! We need to remind ourselves a HUNDRED TIMES! This is what shifting perspectives is all about. To remind oneself over and over again until it becomes natural. That IS change. That IS transformation!
Anyway, so here are the really, really, really, really important things I needed to remember on those dark and dreary days after my family vacation.
STOP THE INSANITY!
~ Stop the food planning
~ Stop the workout planning
~ Stop the demands of weight loss
TRUST MYSELF
~ Trust that I actually do know how to make good choices
~ Trust that I am completely capable of listening to my body
TRUST MY BODY
~ My body is well aware that it is uncomfortable
~ My body desires its natural state
~ My body is my guide; it tells me what it needs
ACCEPTANCE
~ I surrender to my current circumstances
~ I accept myself exactly the way I am in this moment
LOVE
~ I love myself
~ I see that I am so much more than just a body
~ I place no conditions on my self-love
~ I am patient with myself
~ I really, really, really, really believe in myself A LOT
~ I am my own best friend
~ I’ve got my back
JOY
~ My life is about so much more than my body
~ I will not deprive myself from anything
~ I have gratitude for my whole life
~ Life is for living
~ Joy is not in a skinny body
REPEAT
~ Say it until sick of listening to yourself.
And with that, I felt peace. Real, authentic and amazing peace! I allowed myself to be in a natural state. No pressure. No demands. I listened to my deepest desires instead of listening to my deepest fears. I was guided to the food my body wanted. I was guided to physical activity. I was really nice to myself. I took care of myself in the same way I take care of my kids. What a great feeling, to be reminded of this kind of thinking. Never giving up and always believing in my greatest potential. Now that is a force to be reckoned with. Living from THAT energy is what creates a great life. Freaking out… not so much.
It's been a while since I've really craved a cigarette. This past week, I’m physically feeling much better. My body is slowly making its way back to its natural state. And of course it would! It is inevitable. This is a no fail approach. There’s no need to freak out. I win every time! Ahhh.... just breathe.
So what does a Body Love Holiday Season look like?
Live this holiday season as if it were your last. Enjoy every moment of giving and receiving. Sharing, loving, eating, cheering. When the season is over you can look upon it with a memory of joy. Tis the season to be JOLLY ladies! It tis not the season to be counting calories. And if by January 2011, you are “FREAKING OUT” because you actually took being JOLLY seriously… then drop me a line and I’ll whip your thinking into shape!
