{"id":2540,"date":"2020-03-01T10:49:25","date_gmt":"2020-03-01T10:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/globalindianstories.com\/?p=2540"},"modified":"2020-03-07T19:14:29","modified_gmt":"2020-03-07T19:14:29","slug":"the-pride-in-overcoming-body-shaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalindianstories.org\/index.php\/2020\/03\/01\/the-pride-in-overcoming-body-shaming\/","title":{"rendered":"The pride in overcoming body shaming"},"content":{"rendered":"

“The fear within us is our biggest enemy; get that out to conquer the world”<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

There was a time when I wondered how ladies wearing bikinis and bodysuits be so fit? The fitness indicated their amazing mental and physical health, and the ability to be fit enough mentally to embrace themselves. That is my understanding, based on my personal experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

I used to buy lot of clothing that I did not muster the courage to wear because of my perception of my sagging body, lack of confidence and the shame in my mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a mother of a teen, in my early forties, with Type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and many other health issues; I have suffered traumatic situations for over a decade. I felt that my life was totally doomed.<\/span><\/p>\n

I went through an emotional roller coaster ride. I was ashamed of looking at myself. I was a sad and broken soul. I deprived myself from fun activities, suppressed myself from things that I treasured doing. I am a fashion enthusiast from my childhood. I love fashion and styling. I love to keep myself up-to-date.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was fine till I got married in 2001 and my three missed abortions in the following years changed my life completely. I was traumatised physically and mentally. I delivered my son in October 2005 and then my journey of depression began.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Forget about wearing a bikini, even wearing a saree or churidar\/shalwar kameez seemed like a challenge for me. For a\u00a0 happy go lucky person like me, I stopped caring about anything.\u00a0 I laughed and make fun of myself, and let my humour take over, in a desperate bid to have people like me, despite how ugly i had turned.<\/span><\/p>\n

I did all this knowingly, to avoid the bitterness inside me, the sadness in me, and ignore the failures of my life. I couldn\u2019t take the transformation from an energetic, fun loving beautiful young woman to what I had become.<\/span><\/p>\n

I hid my body behind bulky swimwear when i went swimming and felt my self-confidence being snatched away from me. But I conquered my health issues with my strong mind – I decided to make lifestyle changes. This was no rocket science.\u00a0It\u2019s all about using your common-sense. Think before you act, have faith in yourself and train your brain towards the kind of life you want for yourself or how amazing you want to see yourself to be.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My advice is to stand in front of the mirror when you wake up, smile and tell yourself that you are\u00a0strong, and you can have the best life. Tell yourself that “I am a happy soul and I want to stay happy for my entire life, because my happiness is my right.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Try this and see the magic it works for you. Happiness is very contagious. Once you are happy, you will see the people around you start to feel the same vibes and their life starts to be happy too. Is it not a fantastic thing to do for ourselves and for all our loved ones? When I look back, I start to understand that, everything was in my head.<\/span><\/p>\n

Be it being unhealthy, unhappy, unfit, overweight, being not confident enough, body shaming myself; it was all in my head. These are some tips I can share from my experience:<\/span><\/p>\n