After childbirth, our hormones change, our bodies change and our perception of our body changes. Take the Pictures Anyway. I’m writing this to encourage you through my very own journey of being discontent with what I see in the mirror. From Postpartum hair loss to substantial weight gain after having baby number two. I’ve found myself staring in the mirror, destroying myself with my internal thoughts. I say with my internal thoughts because I’m a mom ” We don’t talk negatively about ourselves in front of our children”… Well at least not out loud. I’ve consistently made every excuse in the book as to why I shouldn’t take pictures and I’m sure you have too. So after recently taking family photos that I postponed, I could no longer postpone and here is what I was taught from the experience.
1.) You might see yourself, the way everyone else does!
When taking family photos, especially by a professional they will direct you, help you pose and focus on highlighting your most beautiful features. The truth is, I’m a VERY curvy woman, I always attempt to hide them but after getting our family photos back, I looked at my curves differently. Honestly, I saw myself differently. MY confidence was boosted because I had never seen myself the way I looked in those photos.The pictures also displayed an undeniable love that is the center of our home. The pictures also captured the love my family has towards me. They don’t look at me and see my flaws but they see me for who I am to them. So I encourage you to put how you think you look aside and take the pictures anyway. Go to that wedding anyway, take those pictures with your children ANYWAY
2.) Documentation
Another reason I encourage you to take the pictures is because, photos are memories. Memories for you and for others. They document that you were apart of something big or small. Documentation for your birth experience, documentation for your child’s first birthday or their high school graduation. Whatever it may be, years to come you will wish you documented the moment. For the past three years, I have avoided taking pictures which now that I look back saddens me. Those were missed opportunities to capture memories I was making with my kids. So I encourage you to push past the way you feel and take the pictures, Anyway. We tend to be our toughest critics anyway.
3.) We all seem to want to be the younger version of ourselves
If you are anything like me, I will absolutely hate the way I looked in a photo. But then a year or two later, I will catch myself staring at that same picture, wishing I could love that version of myself again. The truth is we have to start loving ourself for the person we are now. Because often times we can’t return to the person we were in 2017. But we can pay respect to our 2017 self by showing love to the current version of ourselves. As we know one day we will wish we loved her a little more. Because she was and always has been the total package.
I hope these three points encourage you to Love yourself, push past your feelings and document the most special memories in your life.
With Love,
xx Classically Faith xx
If this post resinated with you, you may also enjoy: Feeling Lost in Motherhood
