An Article I Had To Share

I was reading my O Magazine the other day, and found a Q&A with Dr. Phil that I just had to share.  The question was from a lady who had recently lost about 200 lbs, but was having troubles feeling good about herself.  She still felt "fat" and she thought people were staring at her because she had some loose skin after losing all the weight.  She even said that her feelings were "taking all the joy out of losing wieght and making me feels as if I did this for nothing."  WOW.  I thought that was a pretty strong statement for someone who lost 200 lbs!  What about the health benefits!?!?  Its not ALL about looking thin, is it?  But, then, I thought, maybe it seems more obvious for a weight loss of that magnitude to be a good thing for your health.  Maybe I am forgetting that even a 25 pound weight loss is also good for one's health.  Hmmm.
Anyway, Dr. Phil's response was:
"Rest assured, your experience isn't uncommon.  In the mind, body image and self-image often go hand in hand, so sometimes people believe that if they alter their appearance, they will fix their life.  But it doesn't work that way.  If you tend to think negative thoughts about how you look, chances are you will continue to feel the way you did before you lost the weight.  A lasting shift in spirit comes from improving your internal dialogue.  Therapy can help you get there.
You must change the messages you send yourself about your body.  Begin by recognizing that you were not a lesser person when you were overweight, and you are not a superior person now that you ae thinner.  What are your core traits, skills, and abilities?  What do you love about yourself?  Embrace those characteristics and gifts, and focus on what you have to offer..." 

Wow.  I really found this to be powerful.  I think it applies to many more women than just those who have lost 200 pounds.  I think that all of us deal with this in some way.  How many of us are totally happy at the weight we're at?  Doesn't almost everyone want to lose at least 5 pounds?  Why is that?!  We really need to learn to love ourselves for who we are on the inside!  And also, we need to learn to look in the mirror and think good things about ourselves, not automatically nit-pick at ourselves.

So, right now, lets all take a minute and think of a few things that are awesome about ourselves.  I'm going to try to do that today and you should too.  :)