The Art of Loving Yourself

Hi My Beautiful Friends,

For the longest time, I thought that once I lost the weight, everything in my life would fall into place.

I believed confidence would show up when I looked better. That healing would happen once I felt better. And I truly thought that having more discipline and control over my body was the answer I had been missing.

And yes, losing the weight did bring some changes. But not in the way I expected.

Because as the pounds started coming off, I started to unravel. Not physically, but emotionally. Mentally. Spiritually.

I realized something I never saw coming: weight loss doesn’t heal the pain you’ve never faced.

Behind every pound were years of rejection, shame, criticism, and feeling invisible. I wasn’t just carrying weight on my body. I was carrying deep emotional wounds. And the truth is, I wasn’t chasing health, I was chasing healing I didn’t know how to ask for.

I had never learned how to truly love myself, so I believed I had to earn love by shrinking myself.

Some Days, I Still See Her

Even now, after all the growth, I still catch glimpses of the girl I used to be.

Sometimes I look in the mirror and I still see that 300-pound girl staring back at me. The one who felt unworthy. The one who smiled to cover the pain. The one who thought if she could just be smaller, she’d finally feel enough.

That version of me still shows up sometimes, and I’m learning not to hate her. She was doing her best. She was just trying to survive.

Now, instead of rejecting her, I honor her. I thank her for holding on. And I remind her that she’s safe now. That she’s loved. That she no longer has to prove anything to be worthy.

Healing Didn’t Come From Weight Loss

The real transformation wasn’t physical. It was spiritual.

God began to show me that the real work wasn’t about losing weight. It was about letting go. Letting go of what the world said I should be. Letting go of the pressure to be perfect. Letting go of the lie that I had to look a certain way to be valuable.

He reminded me that I am already loved. Already chosen. Already enough.

“You are not defined by your weight. You are defined by My love for you.”

Healing didn’t start when the scale moved. It started when I surrendered. When I laid down my expectations and picked up His truth. When I stopped running to other people for validation and started running to God instead.

What Loving Yourself Really Looks Like

Loving yourself isn’t about being confident all the time. It’s not about always liking what you see in the mirror.

It’s waking up and choosing to show up for yourself anyway. It’s speaking life over your heart, even when your mind wants to spiral. It’s telling yourself the truth on days when your feelings are loud.

It’s choosing grace over pressure. Compassion over comparison. It’s whispering, “God, help me,” and knowing He hears you.

Loving yourself is learning to see yourself the way He sees you even on the hard days.

What’s Been Helping Me

This journey is still ongoing. I haven’t arrived. I’m still learning to love myself through every stage.

But here are some things that have helped me keep going:

Daily time with God
Opening my Bible, even if it’s just one verse. Talking to Him like a friend. Letting His truth soak in.

Speaking truth out loud
Even when I don’t feel it, I say it. I remind myself: I am chosen. I am loved. I am worth it.

Letting others in
I lean on people who pray for me and speak life over me. People who remind me of who I am when I forget.

Letting God into my weak spots
I don’t have to hide my insecurities from Him. He already sees them and He still calls me His.

Being kind to myself
The same gentleness I give to others, I’m learning to give to me.

Building a healthy relationship with food
This has been such an important part of my healing. For so long, I would eat everything and anything. Especially donuts. I’d turn to food for comfort, distraction, or even punishment. But I’ve learned that nourishing my body with healthy choices helps me feel amazing, clear-minded, and confident. I don’t eat perfectly, but I eat with intention now. And that’s a big win for me.

You’re Not Alone

Maybe you’ve been chasing the same kind of healing. Maybe you’ve been hoping that when your body changes, everything else will change too.

But I want you to know this, you are not behind. You are not broken. You are not disqualified because you’re still in the middle of the process.

You are becoming. You are blooming. You are being rebuilt from the inside out.

Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Even if all you can say is, “God, I need You” He hears you. He sees you. And He’s working, even when you can’t feel it.

This is the art of loving yourself:
Letting go of who you thought you had to be.
And embracing who God created you to be all along.

You are more than a number.
More than your past.
More than what others have said about you.

You are seen. You are loved. You are enough right now, just as you are.

I hope you have an amazing day!

With Love,

Your Friend, Chelsey