This weekend I went to Connecticut with some friends for Memorial Day. We ate a lot of really good food, hung out in the sun, played Cards Against Humanity (amazing game if you haven’t checked it out!), and ate more really good food.
After breakfast at an adorable cafe on Monday morning, we quickly changed into our bathing suits to go hang out by the pool.
Bikini time… summer has official started.
As I put my bathing suit on, I had those oh-so-familiar thoughts of:
Do I look good?
Should I have eaten healthier these past few weeks?
I wish my stomach was flatter.
And then I quickly let those thoughts go. I watched the thoughts creep in, and I just let them go. Because the truth is, there is absolutely no point in thinking these thoughts. All they do is bring us down, make us feel like crap, and make us doubt ourselves.
The reality is that I looked the way I looked, and I could choose to either accept it and love it, or bash myself and feel like I wasn’t good enough.
Accepting it is the way easier choice, and at this point I understand that it’s in my power to view myself how I want to view myself. So I just threw on my bikini, checked myself out in the mirror, made a point to find many things to compliment myself on, and walked outside.
My body is definitely not “perfect”, but it is what it is. And there is no reason that any body insecurity should keep me from having fun.
Over the years, here is what I’ve learned about body image and perceptions that has helped me shed my various insecurities:
- People don’t care nearly as much as you think they do. Nobody is actually judging you to the extent that you think they are.
- The parts of your body that you hate could be the same parts of your body that other people love. Small boobs, big boobs, hips, a butt, a round stomach… whatever it is… I guarantee that someone is looking at you wanting that part of your body or thinking it’s damn sexy.
- Everyone’s bodies are SO incredibly different. We compare our bodies to some sort of “ideal” that we see in magazines or on TV, but there really is no ideal. Figure out your own “ideal”. What makes you feel good?
- Looking like a woman is not a bad thing. Having curves, having some meat on your bones. To me, this is sexy and part of being a woman.
- Confidence is key. It’s half the battle. Just rock whatever you’ve got and wherever you’re at today.
So as you start to throw on those bikinis this summer, know that the way you perceive the whole experience and the way that you view yourself is in YOUR control. You can also choose to accept and love yourself for where you’re at today or compare and judge yourself for not looking the way you want to. It’s a choice. It’s your choice. And life is much, much easier, more pleasurable and more fun when we choose love and acceptance.
What do you think about this? Are you nervous to put on a bathing suit this summer? Do you struggle with feeling good and confident in this environment? I’d love to hear!
