Summary: Welcome back to Notes to Self, Notes to You, a space for learning to live peacefully in your body. This episode challenges the idea that full self-love is required for inner peace, arguing that you don't need to love your body every day to respect it. We discuss dealing with personal insecurities, including weight struggles and living with Erb's palsy. The key is to stop negative comparisons and treat your body kindly because it is keeping you alive and has carried you through every version of yourself. Ultimately, your body is a home you cannot move out of, and it is a story still being written, not a problem to fix.

Key Quotes:

"Note to self, you don't need to love your body every day to respect it."

"I think not thinking negatively about your body and comparing it negatively to other people is the peak of your self-image."

"Your body is not a problem to fix. It is a story that is still being written just like your future and just like your life."

"Your body is ever changing and it's going to grow with you. You don't have to love your body to treat it kindly."

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 – Intro/Theme: learning to live softly in bodies that have carried us through so much. 

00:45 – The Inner Conflict: Discussing the head as an "echo chamber of insecurity" versus the body's simple requests (e.g., "I'm tired," "I'm hungry"). 

01:30 – Media and False Ideas: Challenging the media's idea that we must love ourselves fully to be at peace; being neutral or grateful is enough. 

02:15 – Peak Self-Image: Defining peak self-image as not comparing your body negatively to others and having an understanding that you only get one body.

 03:00 – Personal Struggle: Sharing experiences struggling with weight and having Erb's palsy, which can make activities like pep squad difficult and cause insecurity. 

04:15 – Different Beats: Realizing the body has its own beat and that insecurity is just "another sound in a chorus of people who are comparing themselves to each other". 

05:00 – Insecurity is Normal: Stating that every person you see has thoughts about their own body; it's normal to look in the mirror and want to change something. 

05:45 – Your Body is Home: Highlighting that the body is a childhood home you cannot move out of, and it deserves gentleness because it is keeping you alive.

07:30 – Conclusion: Encouraging listeners to care for their body so it can take care of the "loud echo chamber" in the mind; the body is a story still being written.