Being judged by anyone for any reason is uncomfortable. People tend to make assumptions about your situation without having any details or facts to back up their verdicts. For example, many see homeless people on the street that may be asking for handouts and quickly jump to the conclusion that the reason for their situation is linked to alcoholism, drug abuse or lack of motivation to work to earn a living. While that may be the case for some, it cannot be automatically assumed that this applies for all of the homeless. In actuality, domestic violence, lack of affordable housing, unemployment or wages too low to sustain a household rank as the top reasons for homelessness.
While I was obese, I constantly sought a way out of my prison, all the while - low-key - wondering if people thought that I brought my situation on myself therefore I was getting what I deserved.
Allow me to share a little something from my book "Trapped Inside Myself."
Chapter 2 excerpt:
"As an obese person, I often wondered if I was judged. There is an assumption that overweight people are greedy and lazy. I have found it rare for people to think obesity can be linked to something medical. I believe that the most popular consensus is that obesity is strictly a condition reserved for gluttonous and slothful people. While I admit that I could have done a better job in learning how to better my general health, there was a limit to what I could achieve without help. That was something I really did not grasp at the time. The continued fight-and-fail roller coaster ride definitely took its toll on me mentally. As a person with a reasonable degree of self-confidence, constant failure in this fight made me feel - quite literally - like a big, fat loser."
My point?
I'm so glad my story didn't end here.
I decided not to let what others thought of me determine my outcome. I mean, I was doing everything possible to be a good and loving person. My weight should be irrelevant, right? I realized that it took too much energy to worry about what others may or MAY NOT be thinking or saying about me. I decided to take that same energy and use it to put those feelings aside and chose to focus on doing what was best for ME. Having a great support system is amazing but I also discovered that I would always encounter naysayers no matter what I decided to do with my life. I've learned that sometimes moving in silence is your best move.
Had I let the judgement passers and naysayers talk me out of My blessing I would still be living a sedentary lifestyle, walking with a cane, existing in Pain, running back and forth to the doctor’s, swallowing a gang of prescriptions meds, crying in fitting rooms, trying to hide in All black clothes, terrified of chairs, avoiding events and crying almost every day. But instead, I chose my own path and ran with it - with Zero regrets!
