Karma, body positivity and self-acceptance

Hey guys, welcome to my blog.
Body positivity is accepting yourself the way you, accepting yourself for who you are, no matter what people say about your size and your body. It is feeling comfortable in your own skin and not letting peoples opinions of you to bring you down.

When I was in school, I was a bully to boy( I'm not proud of this 😔). I didn't know how my words affected him, I never thought of how he would feel or how he felt when I said those words to him. The boy was fat and I kept making sure he knew it, I even laughed at him, I didn't know how he felt or what it made him think of himself. If I could go back, I will apologize and change my attitude towards him.

I later got to know how that boy felt when I said those words to him because I felt same way when I found myself being body shamed by people. I wasn't fat, I wasn't slim either but I was okay. But few years ago, I lost a lot of weight and became thin. Everywhere I went people had things to say about me, some would ask me if I'm sick, some would ask if I'm not eating well, while others just made fun of me. I became ashamed of myself.

There was nothing I didn't do to add weight. I ate more than I used to eat, I rested a lot even when I'm supposed to be busy because I heard you add weight when you rest a lot, I even locked myself indoors to avoid hearing comments from people, but nothing seemed to work. It took me a long time to realize that I couldn’t keep living based on what others thought of me. I had to love myself first. That was the only way to move forward. So I stopped trying to please people and accepted my body the way it was. That was when I truly felt free. I guess that was karma for what I did to my classmate back then.

Body positivity is a good thing but it can become toxic when people use it as excuse to ignore their health. Let's say for example, someone is overweight or underweight and it is affecting their health and instead of seeking help, will just say that's just how I am.

It can also be toxic when someone starts feeling better than others just because they are finally confident. Confidence should never turn into pride, we should all support each other without comparing or dragging others down.

Yea, be kind to yourself, love your body but take care of yourself and never use body positivity to hide real issues. Also, stop listening to people who only have negative things to say. You’re more than their words. You're enough. Love yourself, grow, and be kind to yourself and to others.

This is my response to the hive learners weekly prompt on body positivity.

Image is mine.