I can remember watching Jerry Springer when I was about 12 years old (why I was watching this, or allowed to watch this, I do not know). They had some very obese women on who were shouting and yelling at the audience about how sexy they were and how they were happy being the way they were. They went on and on about how there was nothing wrong with them being fat and they liked being that way.
I was confused. I couldn’t understand how they could really be happy like that. Not just because of how they looked, but also because of how uncomfortable they must have been. And they seemed so angry! They didn't seem happy at all, even though they were saying they were.
I have encountered this theme many times since, in less extreme ways. People who are overweight who claim to be happy with themselves. And I’ve figured it out—they’re not. They are miserable and are trying desperately to convince themselves, and others, that they are just fine. It seems easier to them than changing their bad habits. But it’s not true.
We are taught to love ourselves no matter what we look like, this I agree with. You definitely need to recognize what an amazing person you are and all you have to offer, but if you’re telling yourself, “I’m great just the way I am, why can’t people just accept me for who I am….” as you’re shoving a pan of brownies down your throat, that’s when self-worth has been swapped out for self-denial.
When people try to cover their bad habits by throwing the blame onto someone else you know there is a problem.
The reality is, if you have a healthy self-worth you will realize that downing a pan of brownies isn’t the way you should treat your body. You are worth more than that.
Try as we might, we can’t lie to ourselves. We can’t convince ourselves that we are happy with our health or our bodies when we know we aren’t treating them right.
Live to feel happy and healthy for you. Then you won’t have to convince anybody that you feel great—they will know it!
