By Karla García Villalobos Lobo
Our expectations not only focused on abilities and skills, but also externally, in terms of our appearance, and our body, tend to go far beyond reality. How many times we have not turned to see the person next to us and said "today I will start because I am going to be or look like him o her?" Lets not go to far, how many posts where models with outfits and good looking thin or toned bodies, we don´t see each day in our social media? How many times we comment or say “I want to have that body and once I will achieve it i´m sure I´ ll be happier, everyone will be surprised and at the same time I will have managed to become my best version?”.
We idealize, we tell ourselves stories that go far beyond reality because that´s what we´ve been taught to do, what society has imposed on us and what fashion, marketing and advertising entities have sold us, standards of beauty, the image of ideal body type, and what “perfection” looks like, affecting the most important thing, and I say important because we are much more than a body, we are mind, soul, spirit and heart as well.
I wish I had realized this earlier. Just like you, I was looking for all this, I idealized, I dreamed, I lived under the expectation of who I should be instead of focusing on who I really was. Thousands of restrictive eating plans, extreme exercise routines and an emptiness inside, a war with myself that did not end. And all because instead of seeing it and doing it based on self-love and on balance, I did it focused and based on rejection and restriction. Outside of taking care of my body and my inner being as a person, what I did was make both (my body and my being) fight, all this leading me to nothing but disappointment, and feeling dissatisfied with all the "hard work" that I had been doing, with my body, my mind and my being.
Surely you must have the doubt regarding on how I managed and how you can be your best version?, well it is important that you keep all this tips and steps in mind:
Focus on youself, look at where you are standing today and ask yourself the following questions: Where am I exactly today? Do I like where I'm standing right now? Do I want to stay right where i´m or do I want to improve and continue?. It is important to be very clear about what you want, to know if you are doing what you like, if you feel comfortable and satisfied with the person you are today.
Everything you do, do it consciously. If you want to start exercising, nourising your body with better quality food or to carry out self-care actions, it is important that you always listen to your body, mind, soul, to your inner you, that you feel, connect those feelings and emotions by identifying them and that you detect what do they provoke on you physically, mentally and spiritually. Do not take your body and your person to the extremes of restricting and prohibiting yourself or the opposite to excesses.
You must understand that even if you don't like what you see in the mirror, or where you are standing right now, you still have to respect and accept your body and whom you are, because otherwise you will never be able to heal and get to where you really want be.
Everything is a process and we must remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a small step. So don't expect everything to change overnight, remember one step at a time. You don't have to change everything overnight, as long as you start doing one thing differently, with that you have it all.
It is very important that you understand this, you have never been broken, you must stop thinking that there is something wrong with you, that you be fixed, because your body and your person have always been complete. Nobody is perfect, we are all different and both our body and our being have been designed and sculpted in different shapes, sizes and colors and within the imperfect you are a perfect being, a work of art and a unique piece and therefore you do not have to "fix" yourself in aesthetic terms, take off, put on, etc…
You have to understand that happiness is for moments, we won´t be happy all the time, because emotions and moments of sadness, doubt, fear which are instantaneous and not lasting also exist. So your happiness itself does not depend on whether you are or are not.
You must live in the present, don´t wait till tomorrow or next year or till you “are in shape” to put on that bikini or swimsuit, because all bodies are worthy of wearing a bikini or swimsuit, of showing off their natural beauty.
It doesn´t matter if you are a skinny, curvy or plus size person, there is always room for all bodies, and health is seen in different sizes, weights, shapes, complexions, years, etc. You can always start working and taking care of yourself no matter where you are today. You want to run, do it, you want to improve your diet, do it, you want to take a course, do it.
You may have not realized this, but you are the best version of yourself every day, because each day you live, you learn something new, you make mistakes and learn from them, you walk, you move forward and so you are not the same person you were yesterday. It's just that we try so hard to look at the future, to fit in and compare ourselves that we forget to pay atention at these little details that actually make us great.
How did you achieve or how do you manage to become your best version every day? Tell us in the comments! We would love to read you.
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