Body Grief is Real
In a culture that suggests that there is one way to have a body.
In a culture that suggests that there is one body to be attained by all.
In a culture that combats body change, at all cost.
In a culture that does not celebrate body change as a part of healthy evolution and growth.
Bodies are supposed to change.
Your body does not look like it did when you were in high school, because you are no longer in high school. This is a good thing.
And maybe you have dedicated time to changing your body, and maybe you have been successful, in doing so. And maybe you have not. And maybe you have wished for a body you don’t, can’t, won’t have.
Blown out birthday candles with the wish for a different body.
Thrown pennies into fountains.
Wished on lucky stars.
It is unrealistic to suggest that you will not have feelings about your changing body. It is also unrealistic to suggest that your body will not change. You are alive. Living things change. This is good. And in the vein of realism, grief is allowed to be part of the process. And as I am learning, in the context of living with a chronic illness, grief is an emotion that is perpetual. It changes shape. It takes up more time or less. But it is in the background. It is part of my story. And holding it as part of the story, makes it feel better.
You are allowed to feel whatever you feel about your body. And I hope that regardless of how you feel, you will do your best to take care of it. Grief is not best managed by cruelty.
Happy weekend, lovelies.
#haes #eatingdisorderrecovery #bodyimage #grief #allbodiesareworthybodies #nourish #heal #aging #disability #compassion #change #evolve #antidiet
