Body Warrior Pledge

The Body Warrior Pledge

Because I understand that my love and respect for my body are metaphors for my love and respect for myself and soul, I pledge:

to stop berating my body and to begin celebrating the vessel that I have been given. I will remember the amazing things my body has given me: the ability to experience the world with a breadth of senses, the ability to perceive and express love, the ability to comfort and sooth, and the ability to fight, provide and care for humanity.
to understand that my body is an opportunity, not a scapegoat.
to be the primary source of my confidence. I will not rely on others to define my worth.
To let envy dissipate and allow admiration to be a source of compassion by offering compliments to others.
to gently but firmly stand up for myself when someone says or does something harmful.
to change my inner monologue to one that sees possibility, not problems; potential, not shortcomings; and blessings, not imperfections.
to give my body the things that it needs to do its work well – plenty of water, ample movement, stretches, rest, and good nutrition – and to limit or eliminate the things that do not nurture my body.
to see exercise as a way to improve my internal health and strength instead of a way to fight or control my body.
to understand that my weight is not good or bad. It is just a number, and I am only good.
to love my body and myself today. I do not have to weigh ten pounds less, have longer hair, or have my degree in my hand to have worth. I have worth just as I am, and I embrace that power.
to recognize my body’s strengths.
to no longer put off the things that I wish to experience because I am waiting to do them in a different body.
to understand that a body is like a fingerprint: a wonderful embodiment of my uniqueness.

All of these statements will take a good deal of determination for me to embrace. I’ve spent so many years keeping track of all the things that are wrong with me, and wishing I could change them. I don’t think there is anything wrong with identifying personal weaknesses and working towards changing them, but I do think that I have let my weaknesses and perceived faults define my life for too long. If I could learn to embrace who I am, celebrate my successes and focus on positivity, I think I could make a long-standing change in my mental health. I am 39 years old and tired of feeling stuck. I want to be able to find joy in every day, and to be the best possible parent to my daughter. She and I both deserve the best of me.