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I
love big hair – the bigger the better.
In fact, one of my most prized possessions is my hot rollers.
That’s my secret to big hair!
When I travel, I even carry my hot rollers separately with me
on the airplane. What if they were lost in my checked baggage?
I have visions of arriving in the city where I am speaking,
standing at the baggage carousel watching it go round and round as
all of the passengers hoist off their suitcases (to the delight of
the chiropractic community). My fellow passengers depart one by one.
The carousel stops, empty, and I am left all alone.
And the thought hits me. Ahhhhhh!!!! My hot rollers are gone!
So
I carry them with me and endure the strange looks as my carry-on
baggage goes through the airport security x-ray machine.
“What is in that case, Mam?” “Why hot rollers, of
course. I never leave home without them!”
Yes,
I love big hair. I have
had the same style since 1977.
But I decided it was time for a change (as if I haven’t had
enough changes!). Change number 1 was having my surgery and losing
125 pounds. Change
number 2 was my facelift. And
change number 3 was getting my hair restyled.
My hair is now shorter and much straighter. Each change had a major effect on me because each one has
altered my appearance drastically.
This
whole experience has caused me to reflect on the importance of
appreciating my external image. Even though I knew I would look
better, letting go of what was familiar has been difficult.
Despite all the compliments I am receiving, I am not
necessarily comfortable with so much change.
The
same is true as you are facing weight loss surgery.
Although you want to look and feel your best, letting go of
that old familiar identity can be disturbing and surprisingly
difficult. Not being
able to accept this new image can cause some to sabotage their
surgery by eating all the wrong foods. They are not yet emotionally
ready to accept themselves as thinner people, even though it is
what they might have dreamed about all their lives. Look for signs
of this in yourself.
But
there is another aspect of image called “self-image”.
Self-image is defined as “the conception that one has of
oneself, including an assessment of qualities and personal worth.”
How you think about yourself and how you talk to yourself can
affect everything in your life. When you say to yourself “I am so
stupid for doing that,” or “I am never good at talking to
people,” or “ I’m the one person that weight loss surgery
won't work for,” you are setting yourself up for a bad
self-mage. Many people go through their lives silently condemning
everything they do.
After a while, your thought processes take over and
everything that you said in your “self talk” becomes reality.
You may want to ask yourself if you want a negative reality
or a positive reality.
I
am so amazed at some of the email addresses I see.
People who are overweight actually give themselves addresses
that include terms like “lead butt,” “fatty,” “lard,”
"fat girl," and “slob.” If
someone gets email every day and their address includes one of these
terms, what is that doing to their daily outlook on life?
It is almost like these people are extending their self-talk
to everyone that sends messages to them.
But on the other hand, I see many great addresses that
promote positive self-worth and self-appreciation.
Positive
self-talk is very important in our lives.
If you want something, but your self-talk is saying you are
not worth it, you may never get it. I love the hair product
commercial that asks the question, why I should buy it? “Because
I’m worth it!” And, you know what, we are ALL worth it.
For
someone to succeed with weight loss surgery, they must learn to
truly appreciate the new thinner external image of their body and at
the same time, create a positive internal self-image by using daily
positive self-talk. Learning
to appreciate our new image and creating a positive self-image are
challenges that all of us must overcome.
By
the way, now that I have straighter hair, guess what I saw on TV
last night. It was the
first commercial that I have seen in many years for …… hot
rollers!!!! Now that I have straighter, shorter hair, big hair is
coming back! Now, if
being 125 pounds overweight comes into style and the medical
community discovers that you really are healthier being morbidly
obese, then I just give up!!!
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