Change how you see, not how you look.

internal-acceptance-movement:

REASONS TO BE “THIN” AND WHY THEY AREN’T TRUE:

1. You can look in the mirror, and feel good about what you see. 

No number on the scale will ever be low enough to make you accept what you see in the mirror. Not because there is something wrong with your body, but because you don’t have an accurate perception of the way you look. The truth is that the way you feel about your body has little to do with your actual weight, and much more to do with the way you feel about who you are as a person. When you’re able to accept yourself and  embrace your flaws, who you are becomes enough and the desire to change your body in order to compensate for your faults no longer feels necessary. When you can love the person you are inside, you are able to love the person you see in the mirror.  

2. So that people will like you better and want to be your friend.

Anyone who chooses their friends based on the way they look is not someone you should be interested in pursuing a friendship with. You don’t choose your friends based on how thin they are. You choose them because of who they are and how they make you feel. You’re friends with people who make you laugh and smile. People who are there to listen and validate your experience. People who share your interests and beliefs. People who make you happy. You are no exception.

3. Nothing tastes as good as thin feels. 

Thinness is not synonymous with happiness. Being happy feels good. Pushing yourself beyond healthy means to achieve a perfect body, does not. Restricting makes you feel deprived, depressed, and detached. You feel weak, lightheaded, and dizzy. You have no energy and can’t concentrate. The time you take to obsessively exercise and count calories leaves you with little time to invest in your friendships, leaving you to feel isolated, lonely, and disconnected, with nothing but the scale as your friend. Ultimately, being “thin” causes you to lose so much more than weight. You lose friends, opportunities, and life experiences. You miss out on fun, love, and connection. You miss out on life. 

4. Guys/girls will be attracted to you.

No matter what size you wear or what shape your body is, there will always be someone who isn’t attracted to you. Not because you’re inadequate or ugly, but because every person is unique in the qualities and features they find attractive in others. Beauty comes in every shape and size. It doesn’t discriminate. And honestly, beauty transcends appearance. Being attractive is less about having a beautiful body, and much more about having a beautiful soul. People can be beautiful in looks, but they can also be beautiful because of who they are. Because of how they make you feel. Because of the way they make you laugh and smile. Because they have made a difference in people’s lives. The way you look is such a small part of who you are. You are so much more than a number on the scale. And if a person chooses not to be attracted to you solely because of the way you look, then they aren’t worth your time.

5. People will remember you as the “beautiful, thin one”.

 Is that really what you want to be remembered for when you die? For your appearance and weight? Because when I die, I want people to remember me for the person I am. I want to be remembered for being kind and loving and compassionate. I want to be remembered for being intelligent and brave and trustworthy. I want to be remembered for my integrity, my values, and my beliefs. I want to be remembered as a good friend and sister and daughter. I want to be remembered as someone who made a difference.