I'm taking a different spin on the blog this week.
I'm going to share a letter I wrote to my past self.
This is an amazing exercise I learned from Brooke Castillo, and one that I share with clients in my coaching program, Fat to Fierce. This is the first of a 2 part exercise.
This letter is straight out of my own personal journal.
Obviously, I do the work.
I don't know if I can get more vulnerable than this.
Here's how this exercise works.
First, take a few minutes and imagine yourself 5 years ago. How old were you? Where were you working? Where did you live? What were you doing? Who were you spending time with? How did you take care of yourself? What were you eating? Did you exercise? How did you feel about your body? Your size? Your weight?
If you could go back and talk to your past self about your body, your weight, and your life, what would you say? What would you want her to know?
I invite you to grab some paper, something to write with, and join me in writing a letter to yourself.
Here's my letter.
This is Part I: A Letter to the Past.
Dear Amy,
Breathe. You can stop fighting. You are amazing, and you are going to do incredible things. You've been fighting your body, and your weight, for a very long time. You're at the gym every single day, sometimes twice. You're killing it in boot camp classes, but you never take time to rest. You're working so hard to lose weight. Your body hurts, and it needs a break. That's why you keep getting injured. I want you to know that you can rest. It's okay to rest.
I know that you hate your job, and you feel trapped. You work so hard. You don't think there is another option. I want you to know that you do have a choice. You can make a change, and you will. This job will end (you will love that story). You will become a life coach and start your own business. You will get your wish. You will have your own thing. You will get to help people.
All the years you have been struggling with food will come to an end. I promise that you will stop stress eating. BELIEVE ME, you will. You won't feel powerless around food anymore. You won't fear that you're falling off track, because you'll finally realize that there is no track. Your cravings will begin to disappear. You'll take back control realizing you had it all along. It's wild, and amazing, and you get to share this goodness with others.
I know you have thought about helping people in the weight loss world, but you don't think you can because you're not at your goal weight. That thought is not true. You're helping people every single day. You will actually love helping people while you're on your journey. You're just a few steps ahead of them, and that is a beautiful thing.
I want you to know that your body is incredible. You haven't always felt that way, and that's okay. Your body is patiently waiting to have a loving relationship with you. It loves you, and it forgives you for the years of self abuse. It has carried you through this life, and it will help you fight breast cancer. Yes, you will be diagnosed with breast cancer. It hasn't happened yet. Don't freak out, it's okay. You will be fine. The cancer is caught really early, all because of a pimple that showed up on the other breast (that's another great story). This diagnosis will be the start of your incredible transformation. You will have no choice but to hit pause, which you desperately need to do.
I know that you never thought you were good enough. That's why you push so hard at work and everything else. You always have to be the best, because that's the only way you know how to define your worth. I promise you will overcome this. You will learn that you are worthy, and have been all along.
You've been trying to find yourself, not recognizing you were always here. It is time to remove your armor. You can lay down your shield. You can step out of the cell that you created. All of this is in your mind. You are safe. Everything is okay.
In the next 5 years you will learn SO MUCH about the people in your life. Some will not stick around, and that's okay. You will learn to follow the breadcrumbs, trust your intuition, and reconnect with yourself. You will realize you have all the answers within. You are about to embark on an incredible journey. I love you.
xo,
Amy
Part II to be continued next week......