Well to the Core With Robin LongSýnishorn

Just as You Are

In my sophomore year of college, I knew deep down that the life I was living was not the one I was meant to be living. I knew there was more to life than the depressing cycle of bingeing and then trying to work it off in the gym. I was weary of obsessing over how my body looked.

I was living a life I wasn’t proud of, and I felt lost, helpless, stuck, and unhappy. But I wasn’t sure how to shift the thoughts, habits, and patterns that were ruling my life and eroding my health and happiness.

On a cold, dreary Colorado night in my tiny college apartment, I dropped to my knees and prayed for the first time in a long time. I didn’t have any profound words; I simply asked God to show me a way out. I was desperate.

Nothing magical happened that night, but a week later, God answered in the form of an opportunity to begin a new chapter. This move to another state also provided an opportunity for me to transform my relationship with my body, food, and fitness. I wasn’t just changing my address; I was taking control of my life.

That marked a new beginning. And while I developed new routines that made me feel healthier and stronger, that wasn’t where the changes started. The most important change I made was inside of me.

You are worthy of care and kindness, regardless of what you do, what you look like, what you achieve, or how you perform. When I feel negative self-talk surfacing, I remind myself that I am worthy, valuable, and loved by God regardless of the size of my body, what I accomplish, or the success I do or do not achieve. When I recognize this truth, everything else falls into place.

The same is true for you too. You have value simply for being you. You are beautiful, strong, gifted, and loved just as you are right now, in this moment. When you embrace this truth, it’s easier to extend kindness and grace to yourself, even when your day doesn’t go the way you want it to or when you make choices that don’t align with your goals.

When we can recalibrate our internal dialogue to speak words of truth to ourselves, we’ll eventually begin to understand the fullness of our worth. When we know our value in the eyes of our Creator, we’ll make more progress, and life will be a lot more enjoyable along the way.