It's ok to love yourself... it really is

I recently posted an article encouraging mums to wear their swimmers to the beach and actually get in the water with their kids. You know...  frolic and have some fun!

It seems that a lot of us are opting out of the fun because we don't like the way we look in a swimsuit.

At the end of the article was a link to some books about how we can be sending harmful messages to our daughters about body image when we make it obvious that we don't like the way we look in a swimsuit or diet constantly.

One of the titles that was recommended was: You'd Be So Pretty If...: Teaching Our Daughters to Love Their Bodies - Even When We Don't Love Our Own

At first I thought, that sounds like exactly what I need to read, but then the title started to bug me.

I thought to myself, how can we teach something we don't practise? How can we tell our daughters they are beautiful and give them a healthy sense of themselves when we don't believe it for ourselves?

It doesn't matter who I talk to, everyone big or small seems to hate the way they look. Skinny women are just as critical as those of us who aren't so slender anymore! It makes no sense to me.

The thing is, no one else cares what you look like or what weight you are or whether you are wearing make up or anything else.

I don't mean that in a nasty way. People care about you, but no one is thinking about someone else's weight and saying, 'Oh, I wish Dana was skinnier, her weight really upsets me!' Doesn't happen. We are just focused on our own rolls and moles and whatever other imperfections we obsess about.

Maybe it's the human condition. But I think its about time to undo this and recondition ourselves to think about things that matter.

I guarantee our kids think we are beautiful.

Feeling hatred for yourself or your body is a huge part of that potato sack that you are carrying around. It serves no one.

Stop holding yourself back because of the self-induced pain of thinking you are not perfect enough.

God made you. You are perfect. Right now.

Spend at least 5 minutes each day this week practising loving your body.

Nobody is going to come after you and ask for an explanation for this 'crazy behaviour'.

Think of everything you would tell your daughter or your friend if they came to you and said they hated their bodies. Think of the loving advice you would give them.

Now, give that advice to yourself.

People who love themselves carry themselves differently and they exude a certain inner strength that makes other people want to be around them. We all know these people and they also come in all shapes and sizes. They are fun to be around too!

So be kind to you, lovely people.

Accepting yourself and choosing to nurture your body and everything that God has given to you will be the greatest gift you ever receive and the greatest gift you can give to your family too.

See you soon,

Heather xoxo