Treat Yourself Gently

To me beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. It’s about knowing and accepting who you are.

~Ellen DeGeneres

Eventually the day comes when we no longer recognize that girl in the mirror and we would be happy to get back the figure we complained about for years.

Living a good life may mean having a few extra pounds. We’re mature. We get to eat. But weight gain is the number one reason that many women give up on their style. Whether we are having a fat day (or year) the secret is to stay away from the gym clothes as daywear and give ourselves a boost by wearing things that fit well and make us feel pretty. Ignore the urge to just give up and be grateful that something — anything — fits.

Life is too short and precious to be spent in a holding pattern until we have lost the pounds. Stop the fat-speak. Those belittling statements to yourself about your body will corrode your confidence.

All of us, no matter what size, need to spend the money and effort to dress well. Shopping can be intimidating; everything from the bright lights, three way mirrors and the thin mannequins leave us feeling less than confident.  Some clothes make us look slightly larger, some slightly smaller. Truth is, we will always look approximately as fat as we are. No outfit can make you look 20 pounds thinner.

Focus on good fit even if it seems counter-intuitive that showing off our shape is the way to go. I have days when all I want to do is hide in my big and boxy, five-year-old ratty sweater. I don’t leave the house. Over-sized garments only work for the waif-like 20- year-olds. For the rest of us, it leaves our figures undefined and as a result we look heavier than we actually are — and schlumpy too.

Wear fitted, not tight. Accentuate your assets and express your individuality. Accepting yourself frees up your energy to focus on the joy, pleasure and fun in your life.

Never judge your worth by your weight or let those pounds weigh you down.

An excerpt from Wear Your Life Well: Lessons on the Journey to Your Truest Self

Copyright: Helene Oseen 2017