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February means Valentine's Day month!!!! (Don't worry, whether saying that makes your heart warm, or you rolled your eyes to the back of your head, this post is for you.)
Let's talk about ways to start celebrating your size and LOVING your body this month, just the way it is RIGHT. NOW.
Most of us know just how difficult it can be to love ourselves the way we love others, but can we TRULY love others if we don't love ourselves first?! I know, cliché.. But seriously! Here, I'm going to outline some ways to start learning to love the skin you're in now. Bear with me on this one... I know some of these, when I first started I felt so silly and didn't even want to give it a shot, but I'm SO glad I did.
Okay, let's dig in. (In no particular order.)
1. Buy clothes that fit!
If you're anything like I used to be, you're fixated on that silly little tag on the inside of your clothes that has that dreaded size on it. I was buying 2XL's for a long time and for some stupid reason I let that bother me... but do you realize how MESSED UP clothing sizes are?! Especially women's! I can literally get away with a medium in some stores and a 2XL in others... like wtf?! Anyway... don't focus so much on the size when you go shopping - I know that sounds weird but honestly the second I stopped looking at the size as much as I just held it up and looked at it or held it up to me - the better I felt. I stopped trying to fit into itty bitty clothes thinking "it'll fit eventually." *insert eye roll here* I learned that I have to shop for my body type. Now, when I say that I don't mean baggy clothes because I'm chunky... I mean clothes that flatter what/where I want them to, aka curves and the ladies. ;) So yeah, next time you go shopping - don't be afraid to size up - and see just how much more comfortable you are.
2. Don't Wait!
I swear, one of the worst lies we can tell ourselves or do to ourselves is say things like "I'll take that trip when I lose some weight." "I'll buy that cute dress when I don't have a fupa." etc... I know I did this for a LONG time. My thing was crop tops, man was I scared of them. I always said I'd wait to get them and wear them until I was at my "goal weight." but then I bought one... and GIRLLLLLL let me tell you... WEAR IT. TAKE THE VACATION. DO ALL THE THINGS!!! Seriously, I know I am not the first person you've heard say this. Life is WAY too short to be waiting around for things when we can just get out of our own heads. I promise you I will not be waiting for anything come this summer and I find a cute two piece bikini I want to wear to the beach. Will I get some weird looks, maybe - but i'm betting the compliments and the positivity that will come with it will totally out weigh all. Also, I know your sitting here thinking "easier said than done" and I know this. Trust me though, just do it!
3. Cleanse Your Social Media
Social media can be a real, bitch. I'd say pardon my French, but you might as well get used to it here. We all know how it can affect our mental health. I'm not going to sit here and take a break from it all together, although I've heard that's great to do from time to time. Instead, take a long look at who you are following, who shows up on your for you pages, etc. I recently went through and got rid of the itty-bitty fitness influencers and models on my pages. While I love what they're doing - and I'm sure they seriously motivate others - for me, it was a soul sucker because I knew that I was not going to get there. I mean maybe I could but who am I kidding, that's not my body type. So instead I went through and found all the #plussize and #bodypositive hashtags and found my favorite influencers that represented more of my body type. You know... #mombods. HA! I saw all these women of all sizes and couldn't stop thinking about how gorgeous they are and how wonderful their bodies are and that was when the wake-up call came that I had a very similar body type and never celebrated it the way I should!
(Stay tuned for a list of my favorite influencers!)
4. Make friends with the mirror.
This is one that made me feel really silly. I saw all this stuff on affirmations and talking to yourself in the mirror and was like uh... how dumb is that?! But HOLY COW did it make a difference. Hit up google - look up "self-love affirmations" or whatever you want, really. Write them down or have them up on your phone.
Stand your ass in front of the mirror and read them. OUT LOUD. Affirmations can make a HUGE impact, even more so when you look yourself dead in the eyes and tell yourself, "I am worthy of the love I show others." Do it as many times as you need to, to believe it! It's going to take practice, but I promise after a few times you won't feel so silly but instead, powerful and motivated. I mean, think about all the movies you've seen where people hype themselves up in the mirror before a game or something. There's a reason for this. So go ahead, give it a shot a few times. This one may not be for everyone, but then again I didn't think it was for me and it made a much bigger difference than I ever imagined.
5. Post that selfie!
I'm going to keep this one short and sweet, because there's not much to it. For real though, if you follow me at all on social media, you know I post a lot, and I'm going to be honest with you - that is like 90% for the hype that comes with them. Even on days I'm not feeling particularly great, no make-up, sweats, all that - if I post a selfie you'd be surprised at the support that comes from it. Even a few likes can make you feel like a million bucks. And shoot - even if no one likes it, as long as you like it and share that with the world, it'll feel better. (Here's a prime example - while I'm not wearing make-up, hair is up and eyes are bloodshot from being one day after LASIK, that SMILE got a lot of attention.)
Alright, alright... I'm rambling. That's what this is for, though, right? Haha! I'm going to call this a part one. I have 5 others for you - but let's start here. Try these things, please. Then come back here - or send me a message and let me know what worked for you and how you felt! I appreciate you all for being here! <3
and remember... CELEBRATE YOUR SIZE.