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Is Your Body a Jail Cell? Thoughts on self-love

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by Angela Gallardo in Articles

The topic of body positivity has been circling the interwebs lately.

It’s something that hadn’t hit home for me until a recent change in my relationship status caused me to take a closer look at myself. Going through emotional trauma can bring so much to the surface.

And doesn’t it seem to most often manifest itself through food?

The pull to eat my feelings — and then starve myself as punishment — is an age-old habit of mine. I’m happy to say it’s a habit long-broken (thanks to high-fat Paleo) but the urge still surfaces at times and can be very challenging, mentally. People don’t always love you the way you want but Ben & Jerry can fool you into believing they do.

I’m too fat to be loved.

Regardless of whether you’ve truly struggled with weight gain, I would wager some variation of this has played in your subconscious before. Even the smallest passing negative thought about waist, hips, butt size/shape, etc etc etc can corrode our sense of self-worth.

Because I rarely weigh myself, I had given myself a lot of credit in the body positivity area. I don’t obsess over calories and I am 100% ok with slow weight loss.

But when it came down to it, did I have my own back when it came to true love and acceptance?

I’m slowly learning there is no greater power in a healing or weight loss journey than to love yourself unreservedly.

Saying “I love and accept you, Angela” has been the most powerful practice I’ve put into place recently.

(TRY IT, I dare you to say it out loud and not cry. Except use your own name. Unless of course you really love me, and that’s ok too.)

What’s been amazing and eye-opening is that with this new outpouring of love for myself, I’ve reached the deepest, most effortless dedication to this lifestyle ever.

And correspondingly, the quickest weight loss of all of my time on Paleo.

Loving yourself takes so many of the variables out.

Every food choice you make changes when you decide to give yourself the love you deserve (regardless of whether others give you that same love or not).

My body has felt like a jail cell at times.

If you’ve been there, I get it. If you’re there now, I hope you’ll believe me when I say you deserve all the love in the world. And I just want you to know that I’m sending you a virtual 2 pm garden of thriving daisies.

—>>> Have you struggled with feeling true self-love? I’d love to hear your thoughts over on Instagram.

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