Love these thoughts! I too was that awkward girl doing the starvation diet to be slim like all the other gals in my class. All of my life has been a love hate with food and exercise. When I look back on pictures of me- I say to myself, I wasn’t fat or obese. So how did I get it into my head that I was. ( Thanks targeted marketing). I’m 61 now and finally at peace with my frame. Joy is a huge component, and knowing that I am “fearfully & wonderfully made”.
Oooh, I love that "fearfully and wonderfully made". Thank you for sharing your own journey. What I'm learning is that imperfection and uncertainty are the two constants; we don't get a pass on those. So, you can either live with them in fear and self-loathing or throw some joy in there to mix it up. I've been choosing joy, and it feels really good.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, Jess. Joy is a precious gift that can be contagious, especially when it's shared.
Health can have multiple definitions, and many of them are merely imposed on us. Words like "imperfections" and "uncertainty" are labels, put on anyone who's not "perfect" and "certain"... Isn't it the same thing for BMI, health metrics, overweight ? Anorexia or hyporexia (in my case) ? It's all so confusing. Exhausting really. We're litterally overwhelmed by labels.
Healthy to me is something we can best feel in our own bodies and minds.
Breathing, being able to use hands and feet, walking my dog in the hills with a good friend. Eating. Without too much effort and / or pain. Not blocking out when anxiety's sneaking up on me.
Feeling blessed to be able to do and feel these things, makes me feel healthy enough and make me feel joy.
Sending friendly smiles to people on the streets and receiving reactions are always moments of joy.
Not having a TV & PC but listening to music I like, I en-joy. BTW in french language enjoy can be related to "en joie" : in joy.
Reading your story is joy. I'm touched by your openness by sharing your story, telling it in your own words. Describing the suffering without drama is a delicate art. Those who can identify with it will understand its deepness.
Is it joy or being pleased to feel connected to another human being on this planet overcrowded by our species ?
After all to me, they're just words to describe a feeling of being connected. To life, with nature and mankind.
It makes me smile to think about you and this story that I just discovered, after reading your gentle answer to a comment I left.
I'll be reading more of your writings and I'm looking forward to it. Reading stories written by people who are willing to share parts of their life and experiences deserve full attention.
So yes, I feel joy.
Thank you for sharing joy and much more Jesse 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽.
Oh Ciska, how you have made my day! I am so touched by your compliment, "describing the suffering without drama" as that is my constant plight. But even more so, I just adore the way you describe joy and health. Your words read like music to me, I can hear their melody. I am in such agreement that joy is fundamentally about connection, and perhaps that's why the pursuit of health has often seemed so joy-less for me; because it's been a lonely journey. When I diet, I isolate. When I don't drink or eat desserts, I don't go to social gatherings. I may be exercising outside, but not to expose myself to its wonders...to burn calories. I look forward to being in conversation with you, and thank you, sincerely, for reading. 💖
Dear Jess, the pursuit of almost anything society tells you to obtain - as if it is something that you need - in stead of focussing on being you and finding out what makes you feel is right for yourself.
These pursuits are creating division by telling you that you are not "complete" or whatever ....
Division creates conflict.
So you take the steps they tell you and fight yourself because you think that what they tell you is "right" ??? While you become aware of how much you're missing while pursuing things that probably have nothing to do with what's right for you ?
The stress caused by the struggle of pursuing concepts and desires created by society "standards" will have averse effects on you and your body. For example: why don't all these diets never work ? Especially on long term ? Do you really NEED to look or live like someone else ?
Try listening to your gut feeling and ask yourself questions about how you feel about all that manipulating stuff society is putting on your life.
Why would you want to become anything other than yourself ? Remember when you were young and viewed life with wonder, with curiosity ? When you were not yet aware of "having to grow up like this or that" and having to worry about "what do you want to become when you're grown up" ?
We all wanted to grow up because we thought we'd be free from adults telling us what to do... And as adults we end up doing just that... doing what other people tell us to do.
Instead of listening to ourselves - call it inner child, deeper conscience or whatever - the only FACT that matters is that the ONLY person capable of knowing what you feel, who you are and what you value in life is YOU.
The endless labeling and telling people what to do by following other people's opinions - on a psychological level - makes me desperately sad.
People following concepts created by other people's opinions, following trends, following infiuencers (the modern guru's) aren't they acting like sects ? Do they make people feel like they belong - for a while ? Not having to think because someone ELSE seems to have all the answers ?
We have brains, we can think for ourselves. Let's use our own capacities to figure out our own lifes. Nobody can tell you how you feel about you or anything else in life.
It's worth to trust yourself because no one else can tell you how you really feel and even less, who you really are. You don't have to become. You already ARE. YOU.
"I believe that health is about living, not just not dying. And I believe that living involves decadence and laziness and indulgence and discipline and that joy bubbles when you gift yourself all of those things."
This is so good. Joy should infuse everything we do, especially health. We get to choose how that happens. I often say if you don't enjoy moving your body, you won't continue doing it, so find something you love. I hated running, but I love swimming and yoga. I have been doing them for over 30 years. Joy is key.
Love these thoughts! I too was that awkward girl doing the starvation diet to be slim like all the other gals in my class. All of my life has been a love hate with food and exercise. When I look back on pictures of me- I say to myself, I wasn’t fat or obese. So how did I get it into my head that I was. ( Thanks targeted marketing). I’m 61 now and finally at peace with my frame. Joy is a huge component, and knowing that I am “fearfully & wonderfully made”.
Oooh, I love that "fearfully and wonderfully made". Thank you for sharing your own journey. What I'm learning is that imperfection and uncertainty are the two constants; we don't get a pass on those. So, you can either live with them in fear and self-loathing or throw some joy in there to mix it up. I've been choosing joy, and it feels really good.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, Jess. Joy is a precious gift that can be contagious, especially when it's shared.
Health can have multiple definitions, and many of them are merely imposed on us. Words like "imperfections" and "uncertainty" are labels, put on anyone who's not "perfect" and "certain"... Isn't it the same thing for BMI, health metrics, overweight ? Anorexia or hyporexia (in my case) ? It's all so confusing. Exhausting really. We're litterally overwhelmed by labels.
Healthy to me is something we can best feel in our own bodies and minds.
Breathing, being able to use hands and feet, walking my dog in the hills with a good friend. Eating. Without too much effort and / or pain. Not blocking out when anxiety's sneaking up on me.
Feeling blessed to be able to do and feel these things, makes me feel healthy enough and make me feel joy.
Sending friendly smiles to people on the streets and receiving reactions are always moments of joy.
Not having a TV & PC but listening to music I like, I en-joy. BTW in french language enjoy can be related to "en joie" : in joy.
Reading your story is joy. I'm touched by your openness by sharing your story, telling it in your own words. Describing the suffering without drama is a delicate art. Those who can identify with it will understand its deepness.
Is it joy or being pleased to feel connected to another human being on this planet overcrowded by our species ?
After all to me, they're just words to describe a feeling of being connected. To life, with nature and mankind.
It makes me smile to think about you and this story that I just discovered, after reading your gentle answer to a comment I left.
I'll be reading more of your writings and I'm looking forward to it. Reading stories written by people who are willing to share parts of their life and experiences deserve full attention.
So yes, I feel joy.
Thank you for sharing joy and much more Jesse 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽.
Oh Ciska, how you have made my day! I am so touched by your compliment, "describing the suffering without drama" as that is my constant plight. But even more so, I just adore the way you describe joy and health. Your words read like music to me, I can hear their melody. I am in such agreement that joy is fundamentally about connection, and perhaps that's why the pursuit of health has often seemed so joy-less for me; because it's been a lonely journey. When I diet, I isolate. When I don't drink or eat desserts, I don't go to social gatherings. I may be exercising outside, but not to expose myself to its wonders...to burn calories. I look forward to being in conversation with you, and thank you, sincerely, for reading. 💖
Dear Jess, the pursuit of almost anything society tells you to obtain - as if it is something that you need - in stead of focussing on being you and finding out what makes you feel is right for yourself.
These pursuits are creating division by telling you that you are not "complete" or whatever ....
Division creates conflict.
So you take the steps they tell you and fight yourself because you think that what they tell you is "right" ??? While you become aware of how much you're missing while pursuing things that probably have nothing to do with what's right for you ?
The stress caused by the struggle of pursuing concepts and desires created by society "standards" will have averse effects on you and your body. For example: why don't all these diets never work ? Especially on long term ? Do you really NEED to look or live like someone else ?
Try listening to your gut feeling and ask yourself questions about how you feel about all that manipulating stuff society is putting on your life.
Why would you want to become anything other than yourself ? Remember when you were young and viewed life with wonder, with curiosity ? When you were not yet aware of "having to grow up like this or that" and having to worry about "what do you want to become when you're grown up" ?
We all wanted to grow up because we thought we'd be free from adults telling us what to do... And as adults we end up doing just that... doing what other people tell us to do.
Instead of listening to ourselves - call it inner child, deeper conscience or whatever - the only FACT that matters is that the ONLY person capable of knowing what you feel, who you are and what you value in life is YOU.
The endless labeling and telling people what to do by following other people's opinions - on a psychological level - makes me desperately sad.
People following concepts created by other people's opinions, following trends, following infiuencers (the modern guru's) aren't they acting like sects ? Do they make people feel like they belong - for a while ? Not having to think because someone ELSE seems to have all the answers ?
We have brains, we can think for ourselves. Let's use our own capacities to figure out our own lifes. Nobody can tell you how you feel about you or anything else in life.
It's worth to trust yourself because no one else can tell you how you really feel and even less, who you really are. You don't have to become. You already ARE. YOU.
"I believe that health is about living, not just not dying. And I believe that living involves decadence and laziness and indulgence and discipline and that joy bubbles when you gift yourself all of those things."
This is so good. Joy should infuse everything we do, especially health. We get to choose how that happens. I often say if you don't enjoy moving your body, you won't continue doing it, so find something you love. I hated running, but I love swimming and yoga. I have been doing them for over 30 years. Joy is key.