I hate my body. I know I’m supposed to start this off by talking about how I’ve learned to love my body, and you can too. I know it’s not cool to admit that I hate my body.
At 13, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease. These are two autoimmune conditions that impact the thyroid. For almost my whole life, I have been exhausted. I’ve had frequent stomach issues, joint pain, and brain fog. And yet, my chronic condition, invisible to most people but a daily part of my life, has given me insights about my body and my relationship to the world around me.
Because of my autoimmune condition, I get to share my faith with people online who are unlikely to be a part of a church or faith community. This is the deepest joy of my life. It’s a reminder that I carry within me a wonderful capacity to bear witness to God and God’s love for creation.
No matter what our bodies are like, most of us have problems with our own bodies. What is something that helps you move toward self-compassion and away from self-hatred?
This message is an excerpt from the Café monthly article: How do I love my body? by Jenna Pulkowski.
Daily Grace has been offering you things to ponder and things to pray about for more than 10 years. For free. Women of the ELCA provides many other free online resources, too—see welca.org/resources. Please support Women of the ELCA at welca.org/give.
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