Heather Smith is the founder and blogger behind OurKidsMom. She lives in the Kansas City, MO metro area with her family and rescue pets Zoey (dog), Mocha and Jasper (cats). A third grade teacher turned stay at home mom, she loves to travel, cook, craft and play with the newest techie gear. With children ranging from elementary to college age her life is never boring. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. She is loving the Audrey v-neck dress.
During my 44 years of life, I haven’t had a day that body image hasn’t been an issue for me.
From a chubby but adorable child, then a chunky teenager to rather curvy pear shaped adult… I’ve had a mental fight on my hands always wanting to be “normal” and to fit in.
I’ve dealt with comments from friends and family like, “You have such beautiful legs, if only you could lose a little weight.” Heck, my grandpa even tried to bribe me to lose weight when I was a preteen by offering to pay me $1 a pound.
I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to realize it, but just recently I have come to the revelation that you make your own happy in this life.
What I mean is, I needed to learn to love and accept who I am and all that I am so that I could be happy in the skin I am in.
I wanted this desperately, so I started loving myself from the inside out. I cleaned up my food, I decluttered my mind (blogging helps a person do that!) and I began to evaluate how I dressed myself.
In the process I managed to drop 50 pounds. After all of these years fighting the scale, my positive mindset was winning.
For years I have been just grabbing a t-shirt &/or sweatshirt and jeans. It was comfortable, it hid what I wanted to hide and I didn’t stand out.
I watched as my friends glowed in their Karina Dresses and wished I could feel as confident and pretty as they did.
But I kept hiding in my comfort zone.
Then one day I decided to try one on… and here is where the “a ha” moment came for me.
As I shed off my jeans and t-shirt and slid into the beautiful Audrey dress, I began to feel pretty.
My smile changed, my posture changed, and my mood changed… just from looking at my reflection in the mirror.
The beautiful v-neck dress helped accentuate my positive attributes while drawing away from what I believe to be my negatives.
Because the Audrey is a sleeveless dress and it is still deep in the heart of winter, I accessorized with a cute black sweater and black leggings.
I’m not saying that is all it took to improve my body image, but it sure helped to fight those negative thoughts that float through my mind on a daily basis.
I am now taking the time first thing each morning to shower, put on my makeup and curl my hair. These few steps right there improve my mindset immediately and start my day on the right foot.
Sliding into my Karina Dress… adds a cherry on top.