Battling our own demons

Ladies, have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and found 1,000 things wrong? Or how about looking into that same mirror and saying, "yeah, not so bad!" Well I'm sure that if you are like me, more often than not you've reacted in the first way....finding things wrong that no one else sees! The problem is that we don't only do it for our outside flaws, but for our inside ones as well! Most women are very critical of themselves and are truly their own worst enemies. I know there are about 1 million reasons why we are like this...(battling throughout history and across most cultures to be considered, recognized, and exalted for the strength we do possess-being a MAJOR one!)...but we really do need to stop tearing ourselves down! We all know that most men do not have this problem...they have other ones...but most men look in that mirror and see themselves both inside and out and say, "hey, not too shabby!" There is a lesson to learn in their self-esteem, even when in some cases it is their way to overcompensate for larger CHARACTER flaws! Most men do not tear each other down the way we do; they do not get hung up on whether or not they're too fat, thin, short, tall, etc. They do not over-analyze everything they say, do, think, etc.

Now I'm not saying we should be just like them...I LIKE being emotional, insightful, sensitive, aware, understanding, etc...but I do think I, like many other women, need to learn to be more accepting of myself...more willing to just say, "ok, I am who I am and I'm going to live life regardless of my mishaps or missteps!" I wake up everyday and try to avoid the mirror not wanting to see myself with all the extra weight; I whined for days about my haircut a few weeks back; and I'm always being tough on myself for not being a better mom, wife, friend, etc...and MOST of my female friends do the same thing...they beat themselves up and hold on to guilt, hold on to hurt, hold on to disappointment...but, enough is enough! We need to give up this very unhealthy and unproductive practice, ladies! We need some more self-lovin'...(and some of us would feel much better if we got some other kind of lovin' too-haha)!

Yesterday I had two separate conversations with two different and very dear friends who were going through moments of frustration, self-doubt, anxiety, etc....Their issues made me think about my own and about this whole topic, and I just have to get something off my chest!

To those of my DEAR female friends who are reading this, I just want to say...I LOVE YOU...everything about you...your craziness..your quirkiness...your wild ways...your fears...your anxieties...your insecurities...the whole package! Don't change! Let's stand together and say we are who we are...let's celebrate it...all of it without regrets, realizing our past---everything about it--has helped us become the wonderful women we are today! Let's start the new year with a promise to love ourselves more and to be grateful EVERY day for who we are! And remember...when all else may seem lost, we have each other...FOREVER!