Since beginning my health journey I made it a goal to tackle the negative labels I placed upon myself and my body. Heavy stuff, I know. In the age of social media and comparison it is so easy to accept certain labels with little to no thought.
We as humans do this regularly. We are programmed to assimilate and conform. It feels more comfortable that way. Often we assume identities built upon ideas that are not true about ourselves and then live these out. This doesn’t just occur with body image, but also manifests itself in our personality traits and behaviors.
If you are a strong personality type that easily expresses opinions you can be labeled aggressive. If you’re more quiet and reserved you’re labeled a push over. None of these traits are inherently bad, but having your personality attacked makes it hard to adopt an authentic identity.
With the rise of social media authentic identity is almost a thing of the past. It is so easy to create a persona and lifestyle online that may not reflect who you truly are. This leads to a very confusing situation of sorting out your true identity.
These realizations led me on a journey to discover my true identity and weed through those labels I may have placed on myself.
I started with some deep insecurities related to past hurts. We all have things in our lives that may have shaped us. It is important to honestly look at whether or not you have dealt with these hurts. If you leave certain things buried, it is easy to apply unhealthy labels relating to this hurt. I had to find truth in my identity in Christ and not in my past hurts.
Next, I will dive into the label I am currently reshaping, and how I am doing it.
The Madison Olivia 