So, last weekend I went bathing suit shopping in anticipation of my girls trip to Miami this past weekend.
And… nothing fit.
I tried on almost 10 bathing suits, but nope, no luck.
It was so frustrating.
I just wanted something cute to fit!
However, as I stood there half naked trying to squeeze on these teeny tiny bathing suits, I had SUCH a different set of thoughts running through my head than I would have had several years ago.
Flashback 7 or 8 years, and in that same situation, I would have blamed MY BODY for not fitting into these bathing suits.
My mood for the entire rest of the day would have been ruined.
I would have felt fat, ugly, unattractive and gross.
I would have felt like I was the problem. My body. I just wasn’t good enough to fit into these cute suits.
But not this time.
This time, I chuckled, laughing at how insanely tiny some of these bathing suits were.
I had the thought that these bathing suits just simply were not right for my body. NOT that there was a problem with my body for not fitting into them.
Of course I knew that there must be bathing suits out there in the Universe that fit, I just hadn’t found them.
I hadn’t found my match (kinda like dating… hmmm?!).
I consciously CHOSE to stand by myself and my body in that moment, instead of defaulting to the inner critic thought that the bathing suit was “right” and my body was “wrong”.
Do you see the difference?
I just want to share this with you because I know that 99.9% of us women struggle with our bodies in some way, and specifically the dreaded bathing suit shopping.
So… if a bathing suit doesn’t fit you… or anything for that matter. I want you think about this:
- Where do you go in that moment (in your head)? See what thoughts automatically come up.
- Can you choose YOURSELF and have your own back, no matter what, in that moment? Can you hold on to your power instead of giving it away to that dang bathing suit? This may really challenge you. You may want to poke and prod at your body and find all of her faults, but see if you can get back to a place of choosing her instead of abandoning her in that moment.
- Remember – there is a lid for every pot. There is a bathing suit that will fit your curves in the loveliest of ways. There is a pair of jeans that will be a “oooh hell yes” for you. You don’t need to change, you just need to find the lid to your pot 🙂
I’d love to hear in the comments below…. what did this post bring up for you? Do you find bathing suit shopping difficult, too? What’s it like for you?
Loving you from Cali!
xx
Jamie
Paige Schmidt says
SERIOUSLY THOUGH. Right? Bikini’s are SO tiny. I have to laugh at it too, and I also wish someone out there would make NORMAL SIZED bikini’s that are cute, last long… etc… I find bathing suits to be one of the most uncomfortable thing on the planet. Someone comment if you’ve found a good brand 😉 Thanks for sharing Jamie!
Jamie says
Haha I agree with all of this – they are so tiny!! I’ll let you know if I find any good brands that are normal sized and cute 🙂
Desiree says
Instead of going to stores this year looking for them, especially because I was attracted to vintage-inspired ones that don’t seem to be in many stores. I went to Amazon.com, picked out 4 different ones I thought were cute, made sure it was 2-day shipping and free returns. Two of them I liked on, but one I thought was perfect so I kept it. Even better, it was under $25, so even if I get tired of it quickly, the price made it worth it. The best thing, I just embraced my curves this year and chose one flattering to my current body, not the body I used to think I needed to have.
Jamie says
Love this idea Desiree!! xoxo.