Recently, my daughter’s friend stayed with us for a week. She missed her parents, and I couldn’t comfort her. I tried to be funny. I tried giving hugs. I tried to fun outings. Nope, this girl wanted her Mom & Dad.
She slept on the couch - the cushions felt like a parent was next to her. The bed felt lonely. My fried eggs were different, I didn’t do imaginative play like her Dad, I don’t listen to the same music as her Mom. Everything…different.
Like her parents, your superpower is all the little things making up who you are. Your smell, your sound, your words. You automatically connect with the people in your life – at work, at home, beyond. No one can replace you.
Think about the following, use it as a journal prompt even…
Start by listing all the things that make you YOU. Maybe you’re funny. Maybe you’re thoughtful. Maybe there’s a characteristic you think doesn’t matter, list it. Ask those around you, “What do you appreciate about me?” Write down what they say. If you struggle to do this because you don’t like yourself, think about someone you admire. What would you list as their admirable traits?
Next, take a moment to read through the list & circle everything that changes when your (or their) shape, size or age changes. What changes when you gain or lose weight? When you get older? How many of the things on the list are circled?
Now think about the ways a change in your shape or size makes you different. If you didn’t circle much, what is the reason you’re seeking that change?
As you go about your day, remember, there isn’t anyone that could replace all the things you are to those who care for you.
I’d love to hear what you found as you tried this exercise. Email me and let me know what you learned, what impacted you, what you struggled with about it. It’s you, people interested in finding peace with food and body, that give me energy for the mission of bringing peace with food to South Central Kansas and beyond via telemedicine.
***Let me also say, if you’re a person who struggles to find your value, you might need professional assistance. No shame at all in that, each one of you is valuable and deserve to know it on a deep level.