Rough Waters

I grabbed the railing as I walk-wobbled along the narrow passageway towards the front. The boat swung from side to side as it motored through seven foot swells. The white capped Atlantic Ocean waves were out in full force. 

And so was my motion sickness.  

One zofran down, I had my sights on the bow so I could have the clearest view of the steady horizon line. I sat with my legs dangling off the boat and grasped the wire cable for dear life. 

After what felt like hours and a lot of deep breaths, we made our way out of rocky seas into the calm bay. 

Crystal clear turquoise water and schools of fish surrounded the boat. I had survived. 

As I bounced around in those rocky waves, I couldn’t help but think about January being the equivalent of rough waters for diet culture.

The volume is probably turned up on diet talk with your friends and family. People resolving to make this year be the year that things are different. 

It’s likely your inner voice is in high critique mode after the holidays, too. Maybe you stand in front of the mirror pinching and pulling your skin. 

Of course every social channel you’re on is rambling on and on about the next and last diet that’s not reallllly a diet that will help you drop those pesky pounds. 

Wherever you look, it’s rough waters out there right now. This is diet culture’s Super Bowl. 

Just remember that its a new year with the same you that doesn’t need to be chiseled, sculpted or perfected in any way to increase your worth, value or even your happiness in the world despite diet culture telling you otherwise. 

You don’t want to be seventy years old stressing out about having to lose those last five pounds. The amount of time, energy and money wasted on dieting in so many people’s lives is astonishing. 

You know that diets don’t work, yet it can be hard to not get pulled back into those rocky seas. The volume is turned up and the tumultuous ride can be hard to ignore. 

Stay your course. Hold tight to the anti-diet movement which you know is the only way to maintain your physical, mental and emotional health. 

Keep your eyes on the horizon and your feet on solid ground. 

What if you just dropped your anchor, enjoyed the view and waited for the water to calm down? It’s a lot easier than trying to grab onto something that fails over 95% of the time.