Sigh...I'm in need of a "Cher slap."
A Cher slap, for the uninitiated, is this. Don't you love the great thwack, followed by her no-nonsense "Snap out of it?"
My friends and I have a long history of saying, "You need a Cher slap" whenever one of us gets mired in something negative or silly or just plain ridiculous. It's a way of bringing each other back to reality and not-so-subtly asking, "Why are you doing that?"
I personally need a Cher slap because I've been guilty of doing something I know I shouldn't be doing: Putting taking care of myself on the bottom of my to-do list. With a busy work schedule, and stress amped up by end-of-the-school-year demands and activities, my workouts have been more sporadic than I'd like. I've also been grabbing way too many easy, but unhealthy food choices and calling them meals.
I've been here before, and it isn't good.
My recognition that I need to "snap out of it" was spurred by a question I was asked by someone interviewing me about my book. It was: "Do you find yourself still feeling dissatisfied with your body?"
My immediate thought was, "Umm, yeah...right now."
The difference now, though, is that I understand the root of my dissatisfaction. It's not about wanting to be perfect or comparing myself to someone else.
I'm not feeling good because I'm not acting in a way that honors my body.
It's a simple, but powerful insight.
When I prioritize eating well and getting regular exercise, my satisfaction with my body shoots up. When I don't, I don't feel good about what I see in the mirror. Even though my body itself hasn't changed, my feelings about it have -- simply because of the way I'm acting.
That's actually comforting to me: It's easy to be positive when I act in a positive, healthy way. At the same time, it's easy to get mired in the negative and find myself on a downward spiral.
So, interviewer, thanks for the Cher slap and the reminder that better choices are mine to make. I feel better already.
How about you? What are you choosing today?
