INSECURITIES? WEAR THE SHORTS ANYWAY!

Happy holiday weekend!

As summer is officially here (+ considering the fact that I live in Phoenix, AZ) HA! 😉 I find myself wearing less layers of clothing + enjoying the feeling of running around with shorts + bare feet as much as possible. Summer is a time to let your hair down and be carefree about your responsibilities and enjoy making memories with loved ones and making new friends… right? That being said, I’m recalling a time that summer wasn’t such a carefree time for me.

When I was fighting for recovery after letting go of my eating disorder, I really went through a long 6 years of hating my body. I didn’t like when way my jeans felt against my stomach or so tight on my thighs, I hated showing off any part of my arms because they didn’t look a certain way, and I reeeaaaally hated my legs more than anything on the planet. I hated their natural shape, the way they “giggled” when I walked or moved and I wanted more than anything for my thighs not to touch. Some people reading this might think… whhhaaat is this girl saying? *But I guarantee many of you have thought similar thoughts at one point in time or another. I also didn’t like my butt because it didn’t seem “perky” and I didn’t have the tummy I had once had either. So why am I sharing this with you all? Because I know I wasn’t the only one who thought these things! It’s important to me to share my personal life experiences because I want others to learn from what I went though (both the fun and not so fun stuff). During this challenging time, I had terrible body image + felt like I would be judged by others for looking like this in public. I felt like I couldn’t get out and show my face (or my body) because I had a negative image about myself. Can any of you relate to having one or all of these thoughts? I hope you’re not in a place of hating your body, but if you are I hope this post helps you with you outwith where you’re at right now. ❤

So thinking these negative thoughts about my body, I found myself thinking the most horrible thoughts about how I looked and as a result, I had ZERO confidence in ME. I started avoiding friends and social situations where I thought I’d be judged. This came to be a really sad time for me because I avoided going to the lake with friends, BBQ parties with people I really wanted to be around, + sadly I even missed most of my little sister’s high school grad party because I was ashamed of how I looked… I hid in my bedroom instead. The point I’m making here is that I let my own insecurities get the best of me + I missed out on creating some incredible memories that I can’t get back now. The cool thing about having this insight is that I won’t be missing out on these opportunities anymore (and I haven’t for quite some time)! I am in a place where I love my body now + I’m thankful for all of the people I get to enjoy these fun times with.

With the 4^th of July approaching and a long weekend ahead of us, I think it’s important to recognize that lots of women (+ men) are insecure about their body. Not just on holiday weekends, but every day. While many people don’t let bad body image get in their way, A LOT of people do. If you’re in a place where you feel negative about your body or how you look, I challenge you to ask yourself why. Is it because you built an idea of what you’re “supposed” to look like or because you think some not-so-nice things about yourself? This weekend, I particularly want to encourage you to WEAR THE SHORTS ANYWAY, go to that pool party or BBQ and PUT THAT SWIMSUIT ON if you’re at the lake! I can guarantee I wouldn’t be able to love my body today if I didn’t challenge myself in these situations or with my thought process back then. Life is too short to miss out on opportunities with your friends + family. Be kind to yourself + love your body this weekend. You’re beautiful the way you are, don’t forget to tell yourself that too! 😉

Xoxo,

❤ Ashley