Self-Image is a Journey
I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching this past year (well three years, rather) when it comes to self-image. I’ve been relearning how to love myself the way I am. Scratch that: I do love myself the way I am! But that’s now. Getting to where I am right now, feeling more confident and happy with my self-image, took some time.
I have two children and both were born via C-section. Did you know C-section recovery can take up to a year or even two? It’s extremely hard on the body.
The worst part about recovery is the constant stream of what you’re “supposed” to look like postpartum. I’ve had family and friends comment on my weight gain or say how I shouldn’t look the way I do because their friends “snapped back” right away after a C-section or natural birth. (Note: All bodies are different and heal differently postpartum.)
Even though I’ve started to feel surprisingly good about myself and my body (health wise), this came only after a long, hard road. I tried every single diet out there, and the first time around it worked (90% due to exercise). The second time around it was a bit harder.
It was harder because my confidence was incredibly low. Social media didn’t help at all. I felt as if I was the ugliest thing on the Earth.
I wasn’t in tip-top shape…
My skin wasn’t fair enough…
My hair wasn’t long enough…
My face wasn’t flawless enough… the list went on and on.
It even became hard to be proud of my own progress. I was constantly comparing myself to others. I started to become sad and a little depressed. It seemed as if no matter what I did, nothing about me was good enough. I honestly started to hate everything about myself physically and thought it was the reason I was having such a bad luck with my personal life. I caught myself wondering if I was unapproachable because of my looks.
I was in a terrible head space for a long time until I came across a particular Instagram account—an Instagram page that changed my life.
Her name is Bree Lenehan (@breelenehan) and Bree is so positive and posts about learning to be okay with how you look! She talks about the many hardships that women have, especially those with body dysphoria.
Body dysphoria is a mental health condition in which you can’t stop thinking about one or more self-perceived defects or flaws in your appearance—a flaw that appears minor or can’t be seen by others. You may feel so embarrassed, ashamed, and anxious that you avoid many social situations. I 1000% believe that social media does play a big part of body dysphoria.
Bree takes all the unrealistic expectations and debunks every single one! She has personally made me feel more confident and relearn to love myself the way I am! Sure, I wish I looked exactly the way I want to look physically, and I know I never will. But that’s okay because I now love myself the way I am.
We must unlearn that our personal value is based on looks. Our values should be based off our character content. We also need to give ourselves more grace and be kinder to ourselves. If we did that more often, then maybe body dysphoria would not take such a toll on us so easily.
It’s an extraordinary thing to be true to yourself and love yourself to the fullest of your abilities! Please feel free to check out Bree’s Instagram. I hope you may find the same joy and comfort that I have found!
*Read more of Anastasia’s writing on our website.
