self

I am feeling blessed tonight because for the 4th time, I have been asked to speak to a group of middle schoolers about positive body image and self esteem. It makes me proud to know that someone believes that I can speak about these subjects based on my experiences AND believe that I have great sense of self.

I have to admit it is EXTREMELY hard to strive for a level self esteem where you do not let social media, others, and even people close to you affect it in a negative way. It's as if you are constantly carrying around this fragile egg in your hands and every negative comment and mental feedback you give yourself just trips you a little bit. Sometimes you drop the egg, it breaks, you get sad and mad, but the key is to just go ahead and grab another one and try again. There are lots of situations I've been in where I've thought to myself "ugh I hope that person doesn't think I'm dumb after what I just said" or "WHY no matter how much I work out can I not lose weight around my legs?!" ….. It happens all the time.

But, in my situation, instead of sitting in my bed and crying (which sometimes can actually be a good thing to relieve stress and sometimes I do it), I have gotten up and decided to study about how to have a better body image about myself and feel like I am worth something. It takes a lot of researching, reading, and especially practice to get to a level where you feel confident enough to speak to a room full of young students on how you feel about yourself. But you know why I do it?

I talk about having a positive body image and great self esteem because I am a teacher, being taught through God's word and lots of books and articles, on how to motivate others. I've always had a way of talking "real" to people and the best part is, they seem to like it!! It is my job to pinpoint an issue and try to make it better.

You know what the best thing I teach the students are? That we are ALL IMPERFECT. Including myself:

• I sleep with my mouth wide open (not the best look)
• My hair is super frizzy
• I'm horrible at studying, especially finance
• I cry when I hear someone say something negative about me. 
• I am a perfectionist so it annoys me when people mess up my things. 

BUT…… I am God's daughter. He made me this way for a reason. Alongside that list, I've also been blessed with a mind that constantly runs and thinks good thoughts. 

• Just like happiness, you can't sit around and wait for  positive self esteem. Get up! 
• Not everyone can be the popular girl, but everyone can be KIND.
• No matter what, it's my own choice how to feel about a situation. No one makes me feel anything.
• Jesus loves me. That's all that matters. 
• Being "different" is not the same as being "weird."
• I never stop growing. Tomorrow I will know more than I did today.
• Remember that bad comment someone said. Who cares?
• Know that someone is always watching how you react. Are you being a godly person?

need some ideas on how to help your body image/self esteem?

be silly

love one another

be a good role model

discover your hobbies

make sure you find the right partner

(when the time is right for you)

I could go on and on with different pieces of advice, but this post would take up my whole night! I have finance to study, a wedding to plan, a graduation to plan, a job to look for, a book to read…. but at least I had this time to focus on an important topic that we should all be aware of :) 

Get

It is the month of giving thanks and I've been slowly but surely thinking more and more about Thanksgiving. First, it's sad most only really stop to give thanks this month. Giving thanks is something that needs to be practiced year round! Second, I feel like year after year Thanksgiving is becoming a thing of the past. There is holiday music chiming throughout the mall and Black Friday advertisements starting to make their way into our lives. Is it just me or does Black Friday become more important every year than Thanksgiving?

I have and will always put more importance into the day of thanks than the $5 movies I will get later that night at Target. 

A practice I learned this year (or was it last year?) is to switch one word in every action sentence into "get." For example, you can either say "I want (or deserve) a drink of water" to "I get to drink water." Everything in your life from being able to look at a pretty flower to the ability for you to read, you GET to do. You're not entitled to it just as much as I am. Everything we do is a gift we need to give thanks to. 

Notice the small things throughout your day and give thanks: 

1. When you work a hard homework problem and finally get the right answer.
2. The way little kids laugh. 
3. An inspirational video online. 
4. The cold morning you have been waiting for patiently through the hot days. 

I hope you see my point. 

Give thanks to the small things that bring you happiness. And remember that nothing is just given to you easily, you GET to do those things. 

Halloween Candy

The day after Halloween when all the candy has been counted by your trick-o-treaters, you are left with a big bag of temptation that seems to stare at you throughout the day shouting "eat me. I taste so good!" It can be extremely tempting to eat Halloween candy throughout the day, especially today, so I made a quick list of advice to help you not gain the unwanted 1 - 3 pounds this candy can easily help you gain.

1. If it's in the house, the chances of you eating it will go up tremendously. 
   
This goes the same for any type of food where you are in the same scenario. If you go to the grocery store and buy Cheetos for example, that is you making the choice of bringing the junk into your house for you to eventually eat. Your healthy choices start in the grocery store. Now, when it comes to Halloween if you don't have children, you'll be fine. Just steer away from candy at 1) work  2)whatever party you choose to go to 3) the bucket of candy to give out to trick or treaters. If you do have children, have them count their candy, eat some, and then figure out quickly what to do with the rest.


2. Actually eat some of the candy.

In my house, we put the candy in a plastic box and allow ourselves to eat the candy at certain times (for example, we can get a candy out of a box on a Saturday night after a great dinner out with friends). If you completely deprive yourself of something, you will more than likely reach a point where the craving wins and you find yourself with a mouth full of chocolate wondering how you got there. Figure out a time that works for you to indulge and let yourself eat a candy. Maybe it could be every Wednesday you come home from work because you're tired of working. Maybe it could be on Thursdays while you're watching Grey's Anatomy. Make candy a reward for you. That one candy you decide to eat will taste so much better when you feel like you'v earned it.

3. Give the candy away. 

If you have children, you might want to at least store some of the candy for later. But if the candy you have in your home is from work, party, or the bucket you used to hand out the candy, give it away! Be charitable :) Take it to a dentist, homeless shelter, to work to hand out to coworkers. Some dentists even offer money for your candy. Check out this website to see if there's a dentist near you who will offer you cash for money. I bet you know someone or some organization where you can give the candy away. Keep some for yourself and then the rest goes away!

4.  Change your sweet cravings.

When you're craving candy, stop to listen to your body and see what it really needs. Our bodies crave the simple sugars in candy as a way to quickly replenish our body to make it function. Your body isn't craving the candy at all, it's craving the sugar.

a) First, check to see if you need protein in your body. Your cravings could be your body calling out for proteins.
b) Replace any temptation with fruit. (Remember though, every once in a while you can eat that candy)
c) Read the labels. Whenever you do let yourself eat the candy, eat one with less sugars. That just means go ahead and pick three candies you want to eat, look at the grams of sugar on the label, and eat the one with the least sugar.

5. If you are having a super hard time staying away from candy, eat one and then brush your teeth. The minty taste will make all other candy taste super bad.

The key is to remember that candy is not your enemy, it's the quantity that is. Candy is meant to be indulged. Just be smart about your candy-eating decisions and you will be fine!

On another note, here's a pretty  message to get you through your day.