Last week as you may know I attended the Curves Fashion Festival in Liverpool. It was a fantastic day out and I really did meet some wonderful people and brands. Whilst at the festival I had the opportunity to meet Felicity Hayward an inspiring plus size model and advocate for body positivity.
I recently reached a point in my life where I decided to love me for who I am, for the size I am and the weight that I am rather than focussing on trying to be different. Meeting Felicity at the Curves Festival was actually perfect timing. Felicity shares the inspirational message that Self Love Brings Beauty and I could not agree more.
It can be so easy for myself to have feelings and thoughts that “I’m too fat”, “I’m not good enough”, “I’m failing”, “I can’t do this”, “I’m not pretty enough”, “I need to change”. The harsh reality is that these thoughts constantly pop into my head and it’s a battle I’m fighting as I learn to accept myself as I am.
Self doubt and not loving oneself is a rabbit hole that can be really hard to climb out of. Before I collapsed 5 years ago and was diagnosed with Adrenal Insufficiency I was doing really well exercising daily and following a healthy diet. Since becoming steroid dependent and being unwell so often, I’ve naturally gained a lot and struggled to lose weight. I even resorted to bariatric surgery in early 2016 which for me did not work and failed.
I won’t “not bother trying to eat healthy”. In fact, I do eat healthy most of the time and I attempt to track my food to make sure my weight is not going up, however my focus for now is on loving me as I am and accepting that true beauty comes from within.
Beauty is not based on how you look, or how many numbers are on that scale. Loving yourself should not be dependent on how many rolls you have on your stomach, on the scars or stretchmarks you have but true beauty really does come from within, from the heart, from your thoughts and true happiness can come from loving yourself.
Whilst at the Curves Festival I was blessed to get a brand new Selflovebringsbeauty t-shirt which shares the powerful message promoted by Felicity Hayward that Self Love Brings Beauty and I really do agree with this quote. It really is the truth and something I’d like to share with you today.
Angela x
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