…..i’m doing something right.
Yep, you read the title correctly and I’m sure you’re asking how is that even possible for you to say that?
So go with me here, I’m in California this past weekend for a badass women’s fitness retreat, which by the way, was the best thing ever! (That’ll be a whole other post coming soon because there were moments on that trip that were purely guided by some angels from above.) Back at the story–we had this fun little dinner thing that the 50 of us women had to attend and I had 10 minutes to get ready. I dig in my suitcase, pull out the only jeans I brought during my panic packing phase and ATTEMPT to put them on.
I mean, they are tight as shit! No joke, at first I couldn’t get them over my calves, so my mind of course went into panic mode. My cognitive thoughts that have been with me for so long came back screaming. “Kim, you’re fat, that’s why you can’t get them on.” Oh no way I told myself and seriously paused and said to myself, “Kim, you’re not fat. You’re strong and you can lift heavy shit.” In that moment, I can’t begin to tell you what a sense of freedom I felt. A sense of liberation from the strong hold of those past obsessive thoughts. At that very moment, I knew I was changing, not physically per se but sure as heck mentally. But how? Because before, jeans to me where my tell tale sign, my claim to fame, my definition of self if I could get them on. Honestly, at that moment I felt elated because to me, when they felt tight, I viewed them as a symbol of my strength, not my defeat. See how we can completely change our moods when we look at the positive vs. the negative of situations? I could have easily allowed myself to go down the dark path of criticism, anger and frustration at myself but I decided to have self compassion, empathy and praise for myself. Guess what? It worked.
How often do we tend to judge ourselves if those skinny jeans don’t fit or they are impossible to button at the top? I’m not saying to completely dismiss how you are feeling because then you’re missing the opportunity to teach yourself love. Validate your feelings, accept them and divert! By diversion, I mean the kind where you cognitively make that mental switch. “I’m hot!” “My jeans don’t define me!” Basically, anything that will help create that instant of positively in your brain cells. Then, if you feel comfortable, engage in a fun little jean dance and you might surprise yourself how indifferent you are about how they fit. I sure did. 🙂 You’re worth it.
xo
Kim
Tight Pants
^^click here^^to see my crazy, silly video. 🙂