Jessica Simpson

I was upset today when I heard on the Today Show that Jessica Simpson made front page news because they suspected that she had gained weight. Really? This is front page news?

This is the picture they showed on air and the one that is making the news:

I'm frustrated that so much focus is on weight and females more than anything. If this was a boy actor would they have made an issue out of it? Not to mention that her "unacceptable weight gain" is so minute that most people would never notice.

What message does this send us and especially our youth? I think it teaches how much society focuses on weight and teaching youth they need to watch their weight to be attractive. Also, I guarantee the average real woman weighs more than the "plumped up" Jessica. Once again sending us the message that we are not ok.

I feel, the best way to combat these signals is awareness and consciously reminding ourselves of the truth of the situation. Does five extra pounds change our value or divine worth? Does Heavenly Father love us less? Of course not, believe in what is eternally true.

This Week's Challenge

I'm going to combine this week's challenge with my little rant. All week I want you to challenge everything with eternal truths. If you got a bad grade at school and feel of less value because of it challenge those feelings with eternal truths, true principals of worth and love you know to be true.

You Don't Have To Be Perfect

There are a few personality traits that are usually present amongst those who have eating disorders. A major characteristic is being a perfectionist. That is why I chose this assignment for this week.

The following exercise is taken from "SomeBody to Love" A Guide To Loving The Body You Have, by Leslea Newman:
Imagine yourself in a familiar setting, at work at school or your own home. Picture yourself doing an activity that you often do. As you watch yourself doing this activity , imagine yourself making a mistake,. How do you feel when you make this mistake? How do you feel afterward? What do you say or do?

A good bonus exercise for this assignment is to write for fifteen minutes without stopping, don't over think it just write the first things that come to your mind to describe this experience from beginning to end and how you feel about it.

How does it feel to know you're not perfect? Was it a big deal to make a mistake? Did you laugh it off and start over? Did you beat yourself up and let it ruin the whole day? Did you want to binge, starve, or purge because you felt inadequate, stupid, or just not good enough?

If you started to get down on yourself try to identify who's voice that is. Does it sound like one of your parents, an old teacher,or boss, a sibling, a boyfriend or husband? We are not born hating ourselves. The voice in your head had to come from somewhere. Beating yourself up is a learned behavior. It can be unlearned as well.
(I typed this last paragraph for those who it may pertain to. I don't 100% agree with it since I know I never had anyone around me telling me negative things about myself, but on my own I still developed hating myself, feeling worthless, and feeling not good enough. I do agree that it is a behavior you can unlearn however)

How do you treat someone you love when they make a mistake? Do you call them stupid idiot, or do you just shrug your shoulders and say, "Oh well, everyone makes mistakes"? See if you can give yourself the same space to be human. You don't have to be perfect.

Homework:
Make three deliberate mistakes this week. They don't have to be giant mistakes.
Notice how you feel and respond. The more forgiving you are of yourself, the more forgiving you will be of other people as well.
Live is full of mistakes. If you aren't making mistakes, you probably aren't learning and growing either. Be kind to yourself-- acknowledge your mistakes, and then let them go.

A New Focus: Life, Not Food

"If our concentration on food and weight has become an obsession, then the other areas of our lives are definitely suffering.

Sit quietly with a piece of paper and think about all the aspects of your life: Work, friends, family, health, fitness, eating habits, nutrition, creative interests/hobbies, education, and spirituality. In general, think about who you are, how you handle these aspects of your life, what you want to be different, the direction you are growing in, and what new behaviors, etc, you want to commit to.

Now, pick a category to really focus on. Think about what would really make you happier and fulfill your needs. Identify a list of things you can do to begin filling these needs. Pick one to three things you can begin on right away. Make sure your goals are achievable!

The key is to focus on something that really requires more attention. It is probably what is most dissatisfying about your life. Start there and begin to make a plan for improving that area."

Exercise from Enlightened Eating, by Rebecca Ruggles Radcliffe

3 Reasons Why You're Not

This was an idea given to me from a young women's leader when I did an activity with her girls not too long ago. We were talking about the importance of loving yourself and finding the good in yourself.

I mentioned how much power there is in your thoughts. How did I go from one extreme of hating myself so deeply that I felt that I didn't deserve to eat or live to now truly accepting and loving myself with only hope and the purest joy found in each day? It was all about my inner dialog, my own believes about myself. I learned when I told myself that I was fat or ugly or worthless, I would first notice it, then change it. I would say the opposite and eventually the negative record stopped and I began to believe the positive about myself.

I decided I wanted to leave the self hate behind and I wanted to love myself. When I mentioned this to the young women group, the leader said that a great way to do this is to name three reasons why you are NOT the negative thing you mentioned.

What a great idea! This is my challenge for the week. If you say "I'm so stupid" challenge it by saying "I'm not stupid because I am getting a B or A in some school subject or I wrote a story or I am great at cross word puzzles." Whatever it is challenge the negative and believe the positive!