Ladies, we have to talk. Heart to heart, woman to woman—what are we doing to ourselves?

I, for instance, tend to abuse my body when I am not feeling well or am hurting. I eat my way through any experience and the very first thing that goes when I am upset is my self-care. I laugh at my exercise routine when I feel depressed or sad. Yikes, what the heck!

We go on these crazy diets—soup diet, carb-free, paleo, blah blah blibbidy blah—depriving ourselves of food we love to…what? Lose those last couple pesky pounds that will inevitably return when we can’t handle the unreasonable diet restrictions anymore?

What if we supported each other, loved each other, complimented one another and spent time together instead of isolating? What if we took some time to nurture ourselves and told ourselves every day, “Hey, I love you!” Whoa.

I am writing here to promise each of you that I am going to tell me that I love me, while I look at myself in the mirror every day. I am going to see that blemish and want to focus on it, and will then say, “I love that blemish too.” I will see that extra roll of fat around my waist and will want to focus on it, and I will then say, “I love this roll, too. It protects and nourishes me when I can’t do it for myself.”

I promise to you, the person reading this, that I am going to love me first, and then I will love my kids, my husband, my family, my friends, my acquaintances, the people who annoy me, the people who cut me off, the people who act like they are more important than I am. I promise to love them all, but first, first, I am going to love me! Who’s in?

Author: Lori Jackson

Editor: Caroline Beaton

Photo: Flickr