Topic Tuesday: Resolutions

“New Year’s Mantra” (By: Mackenzie Fox)

So I really do not like the whole idea of New Year’s Resolutions. I feel like it sets so many people up for failure. It focuses on what we do not like about ourselves and starts the year off obsessing about it. I had thought about this big, long, wordy post about avoiding resolutions that focus on your body and how damaging they can be but then I found a friend on Instagram (@nourishandeat) who pretty much covered it for me:

“YOU. DON’T. NEED. TO GO. ON. A. DIET. because diets don’t WORK.
Restriction does not breed self confidence.
Starvation does not nurture self esteem. TRUST ME, I KNOW.
You don’t need to ‘start over’ on January 1st because you aren’t a problem to be fixed. You’re not a mess that needs cleaning up. Your body isn’t ruined, your weight isn’t the enemy.”

So instead of resolutions that will fail in a few days, weeks, months, I’ve decided to adopt a mantra for the year when I need it.  To serve as a gentle reminder that recovery is such an amazing place to be and this new year is the perfect time to love my body and my story.

Body, I promise to be good to you. To love you. To speak kindly to you. To be gentle with your handling. To mindfully nourish you. To treat you with respect. To not let my mind and my eating disorder believe that you are anything less than perfect for me. To use exercise to show you what you can do, not to punish you. To fill you with love and positive thoughts. I only have one of you and you deserve the best.

About the Author

Mackenzie Fox is a Nashville native who is happy to share her stories of her eating disorder and recovery in hopes that she can help others. She spends her days weight lifting, mentoring high school students as they prepare for college and spending time with her two cats, Tonks and Maleficent. She is a total cat lady and goof ball who wants to show people that there is absolutely an amazing life after an eating disorder.