It’s okay to accept where you are at right now. Right at this very moment in your life.

We are bombarded with messages about being better, being stronger, being happier…more positive, thinner, more muscular, smarter. The list could go on. There is also the inner voice, “If I could just get back to where I used to be, I’d be so happy” or “I’d feel so much better if I could lose this 15lbs.”

Have you ever thought about how it might be okay to just accept where you are at right this moment? Maybe even find happiness in this place?

I am beginning to believe that it’s not always about trying to push ourselves to be better, but more about trying to accept and believe that where we are right now is where we should be.

Take the summer season for example. “Bathing suit” Season if you will. If you are into health and fitness at all you understand the pervasive pressure of your body needing to be “bikini ready”. If you’re a guy it’s being able to be shirtless at the beach. I hear it all the time, “Summer’s coming, I want to feel good in my bathing suit.”

I began thinking about what that actually means. Now, I agree that exercising makes you feel good mentally and physically and staying active over the summer might make being more vulnerable and exposed in a bathing suit easier or less nerve-wracking. But why is there so much pressure? Are other people really judging us on how we look when we are half naked? I think that sometimes, yes, we are being judged. It’s unfortunate because people are not their bodies. People are their spirits, their intelligence, and souls, and senses humor.

I’ve been through it many times. Around April/May I begin to feel the pressure of bathing suit season. Is my body “ready”? Should I change up my diet or add in some kind of exercise to my routine to help tone my butt or belly? Ummmm, the last time I checked I could put my bathing suit on my body. If my bathing suit doesn’t fit I can buy a new one. Yes, I am ready.

It seems that it’s more of our own mental turmoil that we must endure if we feel like we are not “bathing suit” ready. This might be the perfect time to practice accepting our bodies for what they are at this very moment. This thought process might actually help us to relax and not stress so much about something we might not actually be able to control. Instead of dwelling on something that used to be (a body from a few years ago) or something that could be (a body we envision we “should” have) maybe it’s okay to say, “I am accepting of the body that I live in right now. I love my body and respect it, (perceived) flaws and all”. Maybe if we could be more compassionate and accepting we actually would be happier, etc.

The bathing suit season and bikini-ready body are manifestations of the diet and fitness industry. Most of the time these messages are marketing based. They aim at your insecurities and emotions in hopes that you will buy some kind of product. My guess is those messages are not going anywhere anytime soon. Let’s stand up to those messages and politely decline. “No, thank you, I am quite alright at the moment. I have a bikini, I will put it on when it’s sunny and I’m ready to go swimming”.

“I have a bikini and I will put it on when it’s sunny and I am ready to go swimming”.