Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Jean Confidence




“If I lose 5 more pounds, these jeans will fit perfectly and I’ll be happy.”

That’s one example of what I used to tell myself. The journey of self love never really has an end, but for some it’s hard to move along the path to accepting yourself for all of the beautiful things you have to offer.

“What you have, someone else is praying for.” When I take the time to think about what makes me special or what I like about myself, I used to think that I was being selfish. That I had to deflect all of the thoughts in my head that made me feel good.

I have green eyes, freckles, Beach-wavy hair, a quick wit and I’m a good friend. All things off the top of my head that I used to push away.



I think in today’s society it’s so easy to compare ourselves to others. It was hard not to when I was at the pool with all my friends and I seemed to be the only one with a gut. And it’s embarrassing to say, but when all my pretty friends got hit on at the bar when we were out, I felt like this was a direct reflection of my self worth.

Does anybody reading this feel like they can relate? BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? IT’S NOT TRUE! You’re beautiful and amazing just the way you are! And I’m serious.

I definitely won’t be able to cover the whole journey of self-love that I have been on, but I find that a big symbol of my journey is jeans.


Until last year, I would almost never wear jeans. And when I did, I dreaded it and couldn’t wait to take them off. I thought that I could never find jeans that looked like what my friends wore. Jeans that I wouldn’t have to squeeze into and feel terrible about myself when wearing them.

I got to a point in my life where I had really let myself go because of some small foot surgeries that kept me from working out for about a year, on and off. One day, a girl that I had traveled in similar circles with in college wanted to create a group of woman to hold each other accountable. I joined it and through the 12 week BBG program I changed my life!

BBG stands for Bikini Body Guide by Kayla Itsines. It’s a program designed for women.

You’re probably thinking - Hannah I thought this was about jeans! Don’t worry I’m getting there. This program was more than working out, it changed not only my physical appearance but how I treated myself.

I realized that everyone was built differently for a reason. That everyone has their own health problems regardless of their size. That I was the only one I had to worry about. I used to obsess about numbers on scales and numbers on the tags of my clothes, but I realized that they’re just numbers. The numbers didn’t define who I was, how I felt, or what I had to offer!


I was gaining muscle and losing fat but technically my “numbers” went up because I was transforming my body. I had never been more comfortable, and I overcame the weight and negativity that followed my surgeries!

Once I realized that what mattered was how I felt in my clothes and not the size of them, I was free. I can still be fashionable and trendy without having to be a certain size.

Sometimes I have days where I think about what it would be like to be able to wear things like my friends, or my new found 1000 Instagram followers, but then I remember that I was put on earth to be this way. I was meant to show the world what I have to offer, not hide behind meaningless numbers!

No one is perfect, but if we focus more on the positive things about ourselves, the negatives fade away. I work out 4-5 times a week, I live an active lifestyle, and I like cooking and eating healthy... but sometimes I want onion rings and that’s okay! Listening to your body is so important.




This post doesn’t even begin to cover body positivity, but I hope you’ll follow along with me on this journey and be apart of it so we can grow and learn together and make the internet a more positive place!


Cheers!
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