Three On Thursday

I’ve been reflecting back on the year, the things that have gone well and the things that . . . well . . . haven’t gone so well. I’ve mostly had positive growth with my mental health and self improvement and want to share 3 things that have really been great for that.

1. Talk therapy. January will mark 3 years since I started working with my current therapist. The catalyst was Randy’s death, but therapy is something I have done off and on since I was in college. I will say that this is the longest I have ever worked with one therapist and I’m truly seeing the benefit of a long term commitment to this work. All of the getting-to-know-you stuff is out of the way and we can quickly drill down to the root causes of so many of the things that try to trip me up. I’m incredibly grateful for this relationship and the myriad ways it has improved my life.
2. Intuitive Eating & Body Image Coaching. I started working on this back in June and it’s been another life changing thing for me. I am D-O-N-E with diets and diet culture and the false promises of that industry. It robbed me of time and money and did some pretty significant damage to how I eat and what I think about how I look. It’s taken a lot of effort, and I’m not done yet, but I’ve learned that food is morally neutral; I’m not good if I eat a salad and bad if I eat ice cream. I’ve also learned that I don’t have to earn my food by exercising. That’s not to say that exercise or movement isn’t important, because I know it is. Rather, it’s to say that exercise is not punishment for the food I eat. And I don’t have to exercise to burn off the calories I take in.
3. Style School. This is not something I ever saw myself doing or even needing but I’m so glad Kym suggested it and I took the leap. While I can’t always say that I love the way I look in clothes, I can say that I put a lot more effort into the clothes I choose each day. I am always seeking congruency, to have my outward appearance reflect my inner feelings. That photo I included in yesterday’s post? It was one of the first times I actually hit gold (as in, I looked as good as I felt) and I think you can see pretty clearly how chuffed I was with that outfit. This, much like therapy and intuitive eating and body acceptance, is the work of a lifetime and I am here for it.

All of those things built on each other. I never would have been ready for Style School if I hadn’t done the intuitive eating and body image work. And I never would have been ready for those things if I hadn’t committed to therapy. I am continuously growing and changing and learning about who I am and my place in the world and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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