"Former" self

Prior associations are strong. It's hard to see the "new" version of ourselves when everything else is the same. Sometimes a change in environment, even temporarily, can create a change in perspective.

While having some conversations this week a common theme emerged: reverting to our “former” selves.

Many of you have experienced great change. Be it weight loss or gain, professional changes, having kids or seeing them leave the house. We are constantly changing. However, many of us have environments that haven’t changed in years.

What sparked this was a client who said she suffers more body image and body checking issues in her own home than say, at a dept store. It’s like she can see the changes she’s made and appreciate them in a different environment yet at home all she can see is the negative.

Similarly, another client struggles with body image around family. When going “home” she would see reversion into childhood roles.

I don’t really have any answers to this dilemma but I do see how we could use these anecdotal accounts to help improve body image. Can we change our environment, even temporarily, to change our perspective? Can we rid our lives of some prior associations in order to accept ourselves where we are?

The path to change isn’t easy. And in fact it might become more difficult in some ways when we’ve achieved our goals. But regardless of outcome, accepting who we are in this moment is likely paramount to being who we want to be. And sometimes, we realize that we are already there.