Category: Feel good about yourself

Laura Prepon

LAURA PREPON

“I started by making gratitude lists. I write down, using pen and paper, 20 things I’m grateful for. I repeat many of the same things, but every time I write down those people or things (my husband Ben, my health, our children, our future grandchildren, my career, our homes, my friends, hot baths, nourishing food) my heart warms and my whole energy expands. The trick is to be honest about what I’m truly grateful for and not to force things. It’s okay if all I can muster is ‘this bed, this glass of wine, this Planet Earth series,’ as long as I’m telling my truth. After we lost the pregnancy, I started doing positive self-talk out loud to myself. I talked directly to my body. ‘It’s okay,’ I said. ‘Thank you,’ I said, ‘for growing beautiful Ella.’ And as I thought of her, for the first time in days I started welling up with gratitude. ‘I trust we will do this again,’ I said as I remembered that about a fifth of all pregnancies don’t make it all the way. ‘You have a natural wisdom,’ I said, and my body does; I could feel it in my bones. Putting my hands on my head, I said, ‘I love you.’

Moving my hands to my face, I repeated, ‘I love you.’ I covered my arms, my belly, my butt, my legs, down my whole body, and ended at the tips of my toes, ‘I love you.’ And by the end of the exercise, I felt better. I felt connected to my body. I felt love for my body. I started doing this exercise every day, and my physical and mental well-being improved greatly. Then I started doing ‘the talk’ in the shower and it became a habit. You can apply this exercise to anything, whether you’re recovering from an injury or connecting with yourself after a lifetime of body-mind conflict. It’s about being in communication with yourself and appreciating what you have.” People Magazine

Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk

DR. BESSEL VAN DER KOLK quoted in the documentary, Cracked UP

“Trauma is usually about a victim trying to make amends for the perpetrator. The most important thing is to give it to yourself. As vulnerable, As scared, As angry, As frozen as you were and forgive yourself for all the ways you have tried to survive. So just take care of that. Just learn to forgive yourself from all the things you have done in order to survive. That’s a big job.” -Cracked Up Documentary

Zachary Levi

ZACHARY LEVI quote on MTV Awards

“Deep down we all still have that kid in us and there is no reason why that kid can’t be a superhero or a Lizzo… So, if you are like 4-year-old me and you are sitting at home watching this thinking that maybe you’ll love yourself one day and that you can finally be someone here, stop doing that and start living yourself right now. It will change your life and that will change the world I guarantee that.”

Kheris Rogers

KHERIS ROGERS quote in GL Magazine

“My mom pulled me out of a school where I was one of only a few black students (I was being bullied because of my race) and switched me to a predominantly black school. Problem solved? Not exactly. Suddenly, I was being mocked and harrassed not because I was a minority, but because of my darker skin tone. That’s when I realized what colorism truly was: being belittled based on the specific shade of your skin. I was called names like ‘burnt biscuit’ and told that I’ve ‘been in the oven too long’  by classmates who were lighter than me. Those were hurtful ways of saying that I was too dark and therefore not as ‘pretty’ as a light-skinned black girl or an actual white girl. Because, I learned even black people have been historically conditioned to idolize white beauty standards. It was especially painful because I thought we were supposed to uplift each other. I thought I was in a safe space with my peers. But I could still feel the sting of racist attacks and taunting bringing me down. My grandmother from Louisiana, so she’s always coming up with fun and clever ways to phrase her feelings. When she first told my sister and me to ‘flex in our complexions,’ I didn’t realize how important her message was. But after being teased for so long, it sunk and it has been a part of me ever since.

You’ll find colorism in unfair treatment in the school system (dark-skinned girls are three times more likely to be suspended from school than our lighter-skinned peers). It pains me to see so many young black queens and kings trying to dim their own light because they feel pressure to conform to what the world has told them is beautiful. But I see that changing, and I’m going to be part of that change. I hope you’ll join me. I want you to know that if you feel different, or anything less than proud of your complexion, you need now, more than ever to find your allies and stand by each other’s side.”

Michelle Obama

MICHELLE OBAMA

“There are societal signals all around us telling us that there is something wrong with some parts of us. I thought about what are the messages that I’m giving myself, and how do I light up for myself? So today when I’m looking at the mirror, I still see what’s wrong, but I try to push those thoughts out and say, ‘Wow, you are healthy. Look at your skin, your smile.’ I try to start my day a little more kind.” People Magazine

Melanie C

MELANIE C
“I’m no longer trying to be perfect. I was living my wildest dreams. But inside I was hurting. I was photographed and commented on constantly. I’d always been pretty confident, but it was a knock to my self-esteem. So much of my life was out of control. So I controlled my eating, my exercise everything I possibly could. I felt like I had to make myself perfect to really deserve all of this wonderful success. I didn’t realize I had depression. It was such a relief knowing it had a name; I can be helped and I can get better. I don’t really like to take pharmaceuticals, and I would go, ‘Oh my God, I’m taking antidepressants’. But there have been low times when they’ve really helped me.” People Magazine