You look at your sweet daughter and you notice her gorgeous little details.
Not just the light in her eyes, or her beautiful smile, but the details of her entire essence.
She’s so precious.
You want her to know that and feel that. You want her to see herself the way you see her.
You also want to protect her from the lies she will inevitably be fed from this world regarding who she is and how she looks.
Because you know how damaging those lies can be on one’s self-worth.
You know because you have experienced it firsthand.
In fact, negative beliefs about yourself may be so ingrained in your mind, it doesn’t even feel like negative beliefs.. just the truth about who you are.
You don’t fight those thoughts, because you agree with them.
I’m unattractive.
I’m overweight.
I’m worthless.
I’m not good enough.
I’ll never measure up.
I hate my body.
They spin around and around in your head, impacting your confidence and stealing from your present joy.
I want you to consider something..
I want you to imagine looking at the face of that beautiful little girl you love SO much, and even just consider what would happen if you were to say these same horrible things to her.
Imagine how her face would change, how her body language would shift. How she would probably look to the ground in shame.
Imagine how it would hurt her, even though you would never ever want to hurt her.
Friend, you need to know that you are not unaffected by your thoughts either.
The things that go through your head day in and day out become what you focus on. They impact you. They hurt you. Just like they would her.
A rule of thumb to live by is this:
If you wouldn’t say it to your daughter, don’t say it to you.
Period.
If it would hurt her, it’s going to hurt you, too.
Plus, the way you think and treat yourself IS noticeable to your daughter. She will catch on.
How do you want her to talk to herself?
Make sure you are modeling that.
I know it won’t be perfect. But start with showing her you appreciate your body.
“I’m really grateful my body allows me to live and love in this world.”
As you change your perspective on yourself, you will also change her perspective of herself, too.
You have way more power than you think.
Don’t keep believing the lies, friend. They only tear you apart.
If you wouldn’t say it to her, don’t say it to you.
~Kelli Bachara, The Unraveling Blog