“Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself”
“I’m Fat Pat. That’s who’ll I will always be. I tried to turn off my “fatdar”, but I can’t. Every time I go outside, I wonder, does that restaurant have a booth big enough? Does the theater have retractable armrests? What time does the market close ‘cause if I go when its busy, somebody might look in my cart. And turnstiles? Why would you do that to a person?”
Wonderfalls is a cute sitcom, but Pat’s pain rang true. I personally remember going to the beach in a sweatshirt. Not because I was chilly in the 90 degree heat, but because just a t-shirt would reveal my stomach. How many things did I pass on, because of my own insecurities about my size?
People can say really mean, hurtful things, but they don’t hold a candle to how harshly we often judge ourselves! These negative self-scripts that you have either given yourself or that were given to you prevent you from living a productive, healthy, and growth-enhancing life.
There are no easy answers to changing year’s worth of self-doubt. It’s about taking the first steps. DO SOMETHING! Forcing ourselves to do something – anything – can change our focus so that we forget to be afraid.
What has fear prevented you from doing? Fear makes us afraid to meet new people, so we are lonely. It makes us afraid to explore the world, so we are disconnected. So get out there, it’s a great big, wonderful world waiting for you. Isn’t time you started living fully?