Cat Meffan

Why It’s OK to Take a Step Backwards

I recently posted the photo above on my Instagram page and was totally overwhelmed with the comments from my amazing followers. Some were words of love and encouragement, which meant so much to me and others were people sharing their own healthy body image journey with me, having a similar problem by having a little blip in their wellness journey.

I just want to make an even bigger point by writing this blog post that it’s OK to take a step back. Every single one of us does it from time to time, whether or not some people chose to share it on social media, that’s up to them, but it’s only human for us to stumble. And I’m not necessarily just referring to wellness, this can relate to many journeys in life.

Life isn’t about having to live by some kind of strict routine and beating yourself up if you slip out of it. Life is about creating memories and living through experiences with people you love, doing the things you love. So what I’m trying to say is that if Summer time means that you spend more time at BBQs with friends or more time on the beach with an ice cream then that’s OK, as long as you’re happy in that moment.

Balance is a word we constantly hear, and let’s face it, we might not ever get the ‘perfect’ balance, what even is that? But if we make sure we live life to the fullest whilst smiling as we go and taking care of what our bodies are in need of on the inside, then we might just be ok! Easier said than done of course, especially when trying to focus on the inside, rather than the exterior appearance. I know that for a fact, as I’m someone who is constantly working through a battle with my appearance, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give up on what my mind, soul and internal body needs. I will continue to learn more about myself, why I am the way I am, who I want to be, what I want to do in the future and if that means I need a bag of peanut m&ms to get me through it, then I’ll have it and I will not feel guilty for it.

A few days ago I feel like I had a bit of a breakthrough with my diet and healthy body image and all it took was for me to actually take pen to paper and see the vicious cycle of events written down before my eyes. I hugely recommend trying to look at patterns in your life and why you think you could be taking these steps back. Once you are aware of the problem, you’re half way there to finding a solution. Writing things down massively helped me, so you never know, it might help you too.

Maybe me writing about looking inwards rather that what’s on the outside is a bit contradictory considering the transformation image I’ve posted, but it’s all a journey and right now the body I have isn’t one that is making me 100% happy, as I know my insides aren’t happy with the sugary treats, so the inside/outside stuff is very connected.

Hopefully some of you can relate to this and are on your way to taking many steps forwards to a healthy body image, like I am.

Love, Cat x