Body Positivity vs. Self Love
Hi guys! I have decided to create a new, weekly, part of my blog. As some of you may know, I am in love with self love, and I want to do everything I can to radiate a little love your way! Each week I am going to be focusing on a topic that I have struggled with, or people around me have struggled with. And hopefully I will help people start to love and except themselves!
Thank you for following me on this journey, and if you have any topics you would like discussed, please let me know!!
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For my first Self Love Sunday I wanted to keep it pretty broad. One thing that weighs heavily on my mind, is that people confuse self love with body positivity ALL THE TIME. The two are not, and I repeat, are not interchangeable. Though they are both magical and wonderful, they are not the same.
Body positivity is, in my mind, being able to look in the mirror and not feel the need to tear yourself down. It is not looking in the mirror and loving every single aspect of your physical appearance, though that's awesome as heck if you are able to do that!
Also, here is a big reminder!! Ready for it?! Body positivity does NOT mean loving your appearance all day every day! You are allowed to be down on yourself from time to time, that is completely normal and "okay". I like to consider myself pretty body positive, but that does not mean I am without negative thoughts from time to time. I think what is most important, is that we are able to bounce back from those periods of time where we feel low. Even if we don't come back to 100% loving who we are on the outside, it is at least something to love even 25% of your appearance.
For me, I decided to love my thighs first because I really, really hated them. I decided to stop focusing on the size pant they fit into or how big they got when I sat down. Instead, I thought of how far they have taken me, how many field hockey games helped to grow them stronger, and all the miles they have carried me through. This is my challenge to you... this week, try to change out your negative thoughts about a body part, and replace them with positive thoughts. It won't be easy at first, but in the end it will feel so amazing to start thinking positively about your body!!
Next, lets talk about self love. I define self love in my mind as the acts of taking the time to better yourself and do what is right for you. This can take place in so many forms. One form may be accepting your body. Or, it may be as simple as buying yourself your favorite ice cream after a long day. I am not joking when I say that self love can come in a variety of forms. The following list are just of a few things that come to mind when I think of self love...
- Taking a bath w your favorite bath bomb
- Reading a good book in a cozy chair for a few hours
- Going for a drive with the windows down and music playing
- Reaching out to someone for help (yes! this is self love!)
Those are literally just a couple things that I think of, but the list can go on and on. Taking the time to better yourself? That's heckin' self love my friend! The way I love myself may be totally different than the way you love yourself and that is okay. There are no rules or do's and don'ts of self love, just making yourself feel better and helping yourself is the basis. The sky's the limit. The world is your oyster. Etc, etc..
Also, a really really really important thing to remember is that SELF LOVE IS NOT SELFISH. You are allowed to take the time to make yourself better. You are not a bad person for taking the time to do what you need to in order to feel better at yourself. Self. Love. Is. Not. Selfish.
I know this weeks SLS is not all that exciting, inspirational, or glamorous, but I wanted to get the ball rolling with this whole idea! If you have any topics you'd like me to talk about, please leave them in the comments below! I hope you accept my challenge this week and try to think more positively about yourself.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!
xo,
Allie
Thank you for following me on this journey, and if you have any topics you would like discussed, please let me know!!
----
For my first Self Love Sunday I wanted to keep it pretty broad. One thing that weighs heavily on my mind, is that people confuse self love with body positivity ALL THE TIME. The two are not, and I repeat, are not interchangeable. Though they are both magical and wonderful, they are not the same.
Body positivity is, in my mind, being able to look in the mirror and not feel the need to tear yourself down. It is not looking in the mirror and loving every single aspect of your physical appearance, though that's awesome as heck if you are able to do that!
Also, here is a big reminder!! Ready for it?! Body positivity does NOT mean loving your appearance all day every day! You are allowed to be down on yourself from time to time, that is completely normal and "okay". I like to consider myself pretty body positive, but that does not mean I am without negative thoughts from time to time. I think what is most important, is that we are able to bounce back from those periods of time where we feel low. Even if we don't come back to 100% loving who we are on the outside, it is at least something to love even 25% of your appearance.
For me, I decided to love my thighs first because I really, really hated them. I decided to stop focusing on the size pant they fit into or how big they got when I sat down. Instead, I thought of how far they have taken me, how many field hockey games helped to grow them stronger, and all the miles they have carried me through. This is my challenge to you... this week, try to change out your negative thoughts about a body part, and replace them with positive thoughts. It won't be easy at first, but in the end it will feel so amazing to start thinking positively about your body!!
Next, lets talk about self love. I define self love in my mind as the acts of taking the time to better yourself and do what is right for you. This can take place in so many forms. One form may be accepting your body. Or, it may be as simple as buying yourself your favorite ice cream after a long day. I am not joking when I say that self love can come in a variety of forms. The following list are just of a few things that come to mind when I think of self love...
- Taking a bath w your favorite bath bomb
- Reading a good book in a cozy chair for a few hours
- Going for a drive with the windows down and music playing
- Reaching out to someone for help (yes! this is self love!)
Those are literally just a couple things that I think of, but the list can go on and on. Taking the time to better yourself? That's heckin' self love my friend! The way I love myself may be totally different than the way you love yourself and that is okay. There are no rules or do's and don'ts of self love, just making yourself feel better and helping yourself is the basis. The sky's the limit. The world is your oyster. Etc, etc..
Also, a really really really important thing to remember is that SELF LOVE IS NOT SELFISH. You are allowed to take the time to make yourself better. You are not a bad person for taking the time to do what you need to in order to feel better at yourself. Self. Love. Is. Not. Selfish.
I know this weeks SLS is not all that exciting, inspirational, or glamorous, but I wanted to get the ball rolling with this whole idea! If you have any topics you'd like me to talk about, please leave them in the comments below! I hope you accept my challenge this week and try to think more positively about yourself.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!
xo,
Allie
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