My Body Is Like A Cactus

Coach Jo
Dec 22, 2022
3 min read

Meet Steve. He's the spiky one in the corner.

Steve is my new favorite cactus.

Yes, I named it. 😄 That’s how much I love the little guy.

I recently started a succulent garden, and I couldn’t be happier with it. It might not be perfect, but it is mine and I cannot wait to see how it will grow.

I find it a bit ironic that Steve is my favorite even though he’s all prickly and stabs me.

I joke and call him an angry guy that betrays me every time I accidently graze up against him and get jabbed. Yet I find him adorable. How can I love something so harsh?

This got me thinking…

“My body is like a cactus…”

I’ve put my body through the ringer.

➡️ Abused it with food. ➡️ Shamed it with negative talk. ➡️ Ignored it when it was in pain.

No wonder my body feels “angry and betrays me too.”

I love this little cactus, despite its imperfections.

But I have the hardest time loving my body, despite its imperfections.

Why does this have to feel difficult? Why can’t I love my body the same way I love this plant?

Well, the new me believes I can. I can love my wonky, awkward, imperfect body!

So, how can we all learn to love our bodies like a cactus?

Let me first take you back to when I was just a kid in middle school. A happy go lucky kid.

I remember so clearly the day that changed how I viewed my body… I was outside in my backyard with my mom, enjoying the beautiful summer weather.

We were kneeling in the soft grass, and I remember being happy and smiling. Sadly, I cannot recall what we were doing because the next moment overrode whatever memory we were making and cemented a new thought pattern in my head.

My mom reached over and squeezed my knee. With a cutesy little voice she said, “Oh your legs are so skinny! I’m so jealous.”

She didn’t mean anything by it. An innocent comment made by a loving mom.

But in that instant, my kid brain came to a HUGE realization – It is good to be skinny! It is desirable to be skinny!

I never gave much thought about my body or how I looked to others until then. This is when I learned that skinny = beauty.

That is what I based everything on from there on out.

➡️ Every opinion of my body. ➡️ Every judgement of my body. ➡️ I became self-conscious and loathed my body.

How many of you have a story like this?

How many of you grew up with an idea of what your body should look like? The perfect Barbie figure?

Even as I grew up and realized this was not realistic, I still craved a better body. I endured tough restrictive eating patterns and praised myself for “being good” by not eating. Then I would crack under that pressure and binge.

What always came next? Guilt, disappointment in myself, and more self-body-shaming.

BUT… here I am now. A lifetime later – learning to love and appreciate my body.

I didn’t fix this mindset overnight. It’s a journey I am still on. However, I’m taking a different approach now and exploring new ways to love and honor my body.

I’m stopping the self-hate and negative talk and replacing it with a new thought:

“I am enough. I am worthy.”

It might not sound like much, but repeating this phrase to myself HAS made an impact. It halts the negative thinking and starts to create a new pattern of positivity.

For now, “I am enough. I am worthy.”

I believe that with time, I will move on to “I love myself so much!” Just like what I tell my cactus, Steve.

Here’s my challenge to you:

We all have our moments of feeling like we’re not enough. And if you’re struggling with body image, I’m here to tell you… you ARE enough!

💖 Every day I want you to take a moment. Just one moment.

💖 Look at yourself in the mirror and say out loud “I am enough. I am worthy.”

Make this a daily practice. It only takes a moment. But taking those small moments for yourself are what creates your new loving ways.