Reclaiming “Swimsuit Season”

In the Northern Hemisphere, we have entered into the ripe and juicy season of summer, which always makes me think of being outside, being at the pool or beach, long hours of daylight, and of course, swimsuit season.

Oh, you know. The infamous swimsuit season that can bring up lots of fixing and perfecting. Lots of feeling like you somehow have to make your body look like someone on the cover of the latest fashion magazine just to feel good enough or even attempt putting on a bathing suit.

Do you remember what it was like as a kid? When I was little, I was such a water kid that I basically lived in a swimsuit, and I was totally unapologetic about it! Then during puberty, as my body started filling out more and I became more self-conscious, my relationship to summer began to change. Every year as summer rolled around, I would literally feel full body waves of anxiety–sheer panic–anytime I knew there were swimsuits involved.

Maybe you can you relate?

I went from living unapologetically in a swimsuit all season long to avoiding swimsuit occasions as much as possible, and when I did wear a swimsuit, I often had a cover up or t-shirt on to hide the areas of my body I thought were flawed. Once, I even walked into the ocean backwards on a date so no one could see my butt. True story!

The reason I share all this with you is because personally, I’m done with feeling like I need to cover up or hide until I’m deemed worthy enough by society to show some skin. It’s my dearest hope for all of us that we can learn to walk into this summer–and quite frankly, through our entire lives–feeling confident in our skin, at ease in our bodies, and totally at home in ourselves, regardless of how we’ve been told we are supposed to look.

So my toss to you is–whether with your body or in another area of your life–where are you waiting for “perfection” before you’ll allow yourself to show up fully? How can you reclaim how unapologetic you once were? What’s stopping you from enjoying yourself and who are you willing to be in order to let that go?

May you enjoy summer fully celebrating your body, your self, and all of who you are at this very moment…not when you achieve a mythical state of arrival.

Wishing you a fabulous week!