I actually wrote this body dysmorphia post for my social media platforms. There was such an overwhelming response, that I figured it was a message that should be shared here as well. If you struggle with body dysmorphia, you are not alone. Some of the fittest people in the world struggle with this. Just remember you are strong, beautiful, and so worth it!
Body Dysmorphia
Maybe you struggle with it, or maybe you don’t, or maybe you have in the past.
Since social media makes it so much easier to see and compare ourselves to others, body dysmorphia is at an all time high.
We aren’t strong enough. Thin enough. Shredded enough.
Social media allows people to post the highlight reels of their lives. I am guilty of it. We all are. How many times have you taken 10+ pictures trying to get your best angle where the light hits you just right?
Probably almost everyday.
Then we see a picture of someone the same height and weight as us, but to us they look way better than we do.
We lose 5lbs and still hate our body.
We drop pant sizes and it isn’t enough.
People tell us we look awesome, and we kind of believe them, for a second, but then we think they were just being nice.
We feel fat in our clothes.
Every time we look in the mirror we feel wide and gross.
We eat like birds some days, and other days like a 300lb lineman.
Some days we feel awesome in our clothes.
Other days it feels like nothing fits.
So we blame ourselves.
We aren’t eating clean enough.
It’s time to push ourselves harder in our workouts
We aren’t being consistent enough.
Pushing ourselves harder, longer, faster is the answer.
Then we make ourselves sick with stress over the idea that we are never going to feel confident in our bodies. No matter how lean we get, no matter how small we get, no matter how healthy we are, it will never be enough.
Why?
Take a step back. I know exactly how you feel. But think about it for a minute. Who are you competing against? That girl on social media that uses photoshop because she feels the same way you do? That person who has been working out for the last 8 years, when you just started?
You are your only competition. The goal is to be healthy. I would rather feel good than weigh a certain amount or fit into a certain pant size. Trust me, I have been on the end where I could wear a 00 at 106lbs and felt like crap. I have put on 20lbs and felt like a rockstar. There have been times that I have felt heavy, sick, light-headed, stressed, and overwhelmed, sometimes all at once.
But I am stronger because of it. I work everyday to make my body FEEL its best. Sometimes I fall down and beat myself up. But my reaction to those situations has changed. I don’t freak over the scale anymore. I don’t feel chained to a certain look. However I feel and look the healthiest is the best place for me.
Who is ready to break the chains of stress and fear with me?
