I’ve recently cut ties with some Facebook groups that were at one point motivational. Anytime, I would feel down on myself or my weight loss I could look at pictures of fit women maintaining difficult postures, a picture of someone’s fridge (to see how a healthy person eats), or an inspirational quote. For a time, it worked. I would feel motivated, but after a while, I just felt more down on myself. I don’t have broccoli in my fridge….I failed. I can’t hold a squat that long…I failed. I don’t feel inspired…I fail. Over and over again, this cycle continued. I feel like crap; I see some picture of a woman in short shorts running with superimposed text about how you’ll never regret going for that run; I still feel like crap…and I never went on that run anyway. (And let me be the first person ever to admit that YES, I have gone on a run and regretted it. THAT IS OKAY.)
I even found some “health at any size” groups, but sadly the results weren’t much better. Mention the broccoli in your fridge? Shame on you for shaming non-broccoli eaters! Saying someone looks hot in their fitness selfie could trigger their binge eating disorder.
Internet, we have a lot of body damage. We spend a lot of time telling each other what to eat, how to move, and how to live. We are the blind leading the blind. I have spent countless hours of my life trying to get someone to tell me what in the hell I am supposed to do in order to feel better about myself when all the while, I should have just asked myself.
The selfies, the diets, the books, the cleanses are just distractions from your own internal guidance…unless they aren’t. I can’t tell you if they are or not. That is for you to decide. You could try asking yourself what to do, and you might be surprised what you say. Well, I did ask myself, and the answer I received was surprising, simple, and kind.
So, what did YOU say?