7 Mindset Shifts for Overcoming Your “Summer Body” Anxiety
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I know the summer can bring up A LOT of anxiety for you – between feeling subconscious in a bathing suit, or shorts, or a summer dress, and all the food and drinks that come along with summer festivities that you think will hold you back from seeing results.
But here's the thing: Summer should be FUN. We should be enjoying ourselves and we shouldn’t be dreading the events and experiences that are supposed to bring us joy.
That’s why in this episode of Embrace Your Real, I share 7 mindset shifts that will help you let go of that anxiety and fear and actually enjoy your summer to the fullest!
If you loved this episode, I know you will also love…
Episode 133: 4 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Body Standards
The number one reason why we struggle to embrace our bodies is because of the body standards we hold for ourselves. But here's the thing: many of us are completely unaware of the body standards we have, where they came from, why we hold ourselves to these standards, and how toxic they really are.
TRANSCRIPT:
Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get in, let's go.
Hello, and welcome back to another episode of the Embrace Your Real podcast. I am so incredibly grateful that you are here tuning in wherever you are in the world. Whether you're walking or jogging, you're working out, you're cooking or cleaning, you're driving, you're doing the dang thing, girl, you are choosing to show up to become the best possible version of yourself so that you can go into this world and serve others and do the things that you're called to do and do the things that you're passionate about in your best capacity.
Today, I'm talking about summer body anxiety, and I know that summer can bring up a lot of anxiety for you between feeling subconscious in a bathing suit or shorts or summer dress and all the food and drinks that come along with summer festivities that you think might hold you back from seeing results. I'm speaking from experience because for years of my life, I let that summer anxiety dictate my life. But summer should be fun. We should be enjoying ourselves. We shouldn't be dreading the events and experiences that are supposed to bring us joy. But here we are, we're doing it and we need to make that stop. So in today's episode of Embrace Your Real, I want to share seven mindset shifts that will help you let go of anxiety and let go of that fear so you can actually start enjoying your summer to the fullest. Before I dive in, I wanted to share this super sweet review. It comes from Bella Blue.
She says, "Thank you for having the courage. I think about food all the time and about if other people are noticing if I look skinnier or that I need to be skinnier in order to be liked or loved. And there has not been one other podcast that I've listened to that I can relate more on. I'm so grateful that you had the courage to start this podcast and share your story because it's so similar to the way that I think, and it's helping me actually live my life, to be happier and more authentic because knowing that you've gone through something and what I'm going through makes me feel like it's possible for me to love myself as I am too, and doing things not because I hate my body, but because I love it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how liberating and free I feel knowing that you've had similar thoughts to me and that you can love yourself now. And thank you also for including God in your podcast and bringing people to Christ. You will definitely be blessed for that."
Oh my goodness. Thank you so much. I loved every single word of this and I couldn't relate more. And this right here is just a prime example of why I started the podcast. You guys, I remember when I was sitting in my room that I rented. I lived one semester in a college dorm, but for the majority of my college years, I rented houses with other girls. And I remember just sitting in my room and I didn't really know my roommates, and I felt so alone in my insecurities. I felt so lonely and I felt like I was the only person on the face of this planet struggling with the things that I was struggling with. And so, once I started to really open my eyes and I started to actually embrace my real, which if you haven't tuned into episode one, how I stopped hating my body and finally started embracing my real, I kind of just go through my basic story of just how I kind of got to where I am right now, but I wish that I had something like this podcast.
And so, when I started to really embrace my real and finally start to feel comfortable and confident in my skin, I made it a commitment to empower, encourage and inspire other women to remind them that they are not alone in their struggles. So this is just a perfect example and just reiterates my message of embracing a real. And I'm so grateful that you are loving this podcast, and everything that you said in this review is exactly what I want to get across, so thank you for your words. Thank you for each and every single one of you who take a moment to leave a review on this podcast. I can't tell you how much it not only means to me and my team of just reading these reviews on how this podcast is changing your mindset and intern changing the way that you live your life and how you are pursuing goals, and how are you just pursuing the things that you love in the best mindset. It is such a blessing to be able to hear these reviews. And it also does help the growth of the podcast so incredibly much.
So if you haven't already rated and reviewed the podcast, or if you haven't rated and reviewed it in a while, I just ask that you scoot over to Apple Podcast. You can tell me a specific episode too that really touched you. I always love hearing your feedback. You guys are my family, my podcast listeners, you guys are the real deal and I love you so, so much. So thank you in advance.
Okay. So let's dive into today's episode. So, so many of us go to pool parties, barbecues, or any summer event, and I think many of us do it without actually enjoying ourselves because we're too concerned about what our bodies look like, or that we can't eat the delicious foods or drinks because it's going to make us fat, or that we can't live presently in the moment because all we can think about is how big our thighs are or how flabby our stomachs are or how much cellulite we have.
So here is mindset number one for overcoming that summer body anxiety. Ask yourself if this matters. Are you letting your self-consciousness around your body stop you from enjoying your summer to the fullest? I need you to ask yourself, what will you remember one year, five years or 10 years from now? Will you remember how big your thighs looked in your shorts or how you shouldn't have eaten the food? Or will you remember how much fun you had with your friends and family and all of the amazing memories that came along with the experiences that you're having? I can assure you that 10 years from today, you won't regret eating too much or having that extra drink. You won't regret that you allowed your negative body image to stop you from actually enjoying your life. Most likely you'll wish that you could get those memories back so you could live them free of anxiety. So I need you to start living that way right now.
Mindset number two for overcoming the summer body anxiety, memories over macros. Sometimes you just need to choose the memories over the macros. Yes, counting macros is a tool. It's a tool in your toolbox to help you feel happy and confident and empowered around food and body and your life. But if counting macros starts to take away from that happiness, you need to stop and ask yourself what is most important. Again, going back to that, will you remember in five or 10 years the memories that you created or the macros that you counted? And I just talked about this on my Instagram story, but it's so important for you to evaluate a situation. And I said that there's two key takeaways with this term memories over macros.
The first is that you have to have enough self-awareness and ask yourself, is this memory something that I just don't want to worry about counting my macros and I want it to be mindful? And when I say like memories over macros, this doesn't mean that I'm saying going all out, totally crazy, and going on a binge-style weekend or week of just eating and eating and eating until the point that you feel sick. I mean when you choose memories over macros, you are living in the moment, you're eating mindfully. You're still remembering to honor and nourish your body with the foods that you're eating and how you're moving, but you're not counting your macros to a T.
So having that self-awareness will allow you to ask yourself, is this a heck yes? If this is a heck, yes, I want to live present in the moment. This is my anniversary. This is my kids. 10th birthday party. This is my 30th birthday party, whatever the celebration is. And if it's a heck yes, go for it. Or maybe you'll recognize in that moment of self-awareness, actually this might be a trigger for me to continue down this negative, toxic cycle of me binge eating for the next seven days. So having that self-awareness is key so that you can either say, "This is a heck yes or no. I think I'll actually be mindful and I'll count my macros, but not stress that much about it." And two, let your yeses be yeses and your nos be nos.
So if you say, "Heck yes, this is a moment where I'm going to knock out my macros. I'm going to eat mindfully. I'm going to be present and be in the moment," let your yes be yes. If you say, "No, I think that this might be something that would trigger me to go into this negative toxic cycle of binge eating for the next week," let your no be no, and don't feel guilty. Don't overthink it. Don't let yourself feel guilty for whatever it is that you choose. At the end of the day, remember this, if you consistently count your macros, a few uncounted meals are not going to stop you from seeing the results that you want. Just like eating one salad overnight is not going to magically take you exactly to where you want to be in your goals, having a few uncounted meals, they're not going to completely hinder you from seeing your results. Consistent, imperfect action over inconsistent, perfect action always.
Mindset number three, for overcoming that summer body anxiety, just do it. So what do I mean by that? Just wear the shorts or wear the bathing suit. Stop trying to cover yourself up or hide those quote unquote flaws. It's going to feel extremely uncomfortable, but I need you to embrace the discomfort. The more that you step out into the world, into your shorts or your bathing suits and just own it, the more normal and natural it will begin to feel, the more you'll do it, and the less of a deal it becomes, and the more comfortable you will become. If you follow me on Instagram, you see me rocking shorts all the time for my workouts. Trust me though, when I first started, it was so scary. I felt so exposed. I felt so uncomfortable and so self-conscious because for a decade of my life, I told myself that I couldn't wear the shorts, but I knew that I needed to push past those feelings of discomfort and just start wearing them anyways. And over time, I slowly became more confident in the shorts.
So I need you to just do it. Wear the dang shorts, wear the dang bathing suit, own it and I need to see it. So if that is you, if you feel like you are finally, this summer, going to break free and just freaking do it, snap that selfie girl, tag me on Instagram. I want to see you. I want to celebrate the heck out of it because that is a huge accomplishment. And I can tell you, the more and more you do it, the more you will feel so much more comfortable and confident. It just takes time.
Mindset number four for overcoming that summer body anxiety, invest in summer clothes that you feel confident in. I'm not saying invest in summer clothes that hide your body. I'm saying invest in clothes that fit your body shape properly. When you find clothes that are specifically made for your body shape, you'll feel so much more confident. Oftentimes, if you have clothes that don't fit properly, they can make you feel way bigger than you actually are. For example, if I were to buy low rise shorts, of course I have stomach rolls when I sit down, or if I have shorts that aren't made for athletic bodies, of course I'm going to feel uncomfortable. Anybody would. So I need you to do some research on clothes that fit your body type the best and invest in clothes that make you feel confident. Trust me, it makes a world of a difference.
I can tell you that you guys know I'm a firm believer in Fran Denim. I love them. So, so much for denim. They have great high rise shorts. I have also been loving the Curve Love style from Abercrombie. Their shorts are incredible and last summer I actually got a pair of them and I got a few sizes too big. So in Curve Love, they actually are more proportioned for there's less room in the waist and bigger room in the glutes and legs. And that's exactly my body type. I find that any sort of regular denim, if it fits my legs, it doesn't fit my waist. And I have this huge gap in my waist. But Curve Love from Abercrombie is amazing, and they have this mom style four-inch high-rise shore. And I just got my 2021 pair from Abercrombie, and I'm telling you guys, I feel like a million freaking bucks. These are going to be my go-to summer jean.
I will try and link them on Instagram and put them on my Like to Know page. I'm trying to get better at that, but it makes such a world of a difference when you have clothes and dresses and shirts and tanks and bathing suits that fit your body, that fit your body type that make you feel comfortable and confident. So do some research. It makes a world of a difference, like I said.
Mindset number five for overcoming that summer body anxiety, remember that no one judges your body, like you are judging your body. You are your own harshest critic. No one actually cares what your body looks like. Trust me, it's just like when you're in the gym lifting, you think everybody's looking at you, but people are so engulfed and so consumed with being scared of what they think you think are thinking of them that they're not even thinking of you. They're thinking of, what are you thinking of me, right? It's this back and forth. And I think so often we think all these people are judging us and they're so concerned about what our body looks like, and that's just not the truth. People aren't going to go home from that barbecue and think, wow, Julie's legs were so big. They're going to think, wow, I had so much fun hanging out with Julie today. Believe it or not, people care so much about the memories that they're creating with you, not what you look like.
Mindset number six for overcoming that summer body anxiety, remember that the more authentically you show up and the more comfortable and confident you are in your body, the more comfortable and confident you make others feel to show up authentically themselves. Be the change that you want to see. We all want these picture perfect images of women to stop being the standard for beauty, right? Then we need to start being part of the solution. We can't wish that that wasn't the standard, yet strive for that standard. So become a role model for others this summer show up authentically in your body and show others that it's okay for them to do the same. The more of us that show up authentically, the less anxiety we will feel about not having the picture perfect, unrealistic body mindset.
Number seven for overcoming the summer body anxiety, stay in the present moment. It's so easy to be talking to someone at a barbecue and not be really listening to them at all because maybe all you're doing is thinking about your body. So every time your mind might shift back to your body or self-consciousness, I need you to start actively bringing yourself back to the present because the more present that you are, the less space that you have for negative thoughts and anxiety to arise. Bring yourself back to the present moment. And this is something that's going to take practice, right? The moment you start to see and feel your mind drift, I need you to capture that and I need you to bring yourself back. It's going to take time. It's going to take practice, but over time it will start to be almost like second nature.
So those are the seven mindset shifts that I have for you today. Are you ready to feel comfortable and confident in your skin this summer? Let me quickly recap what they are. Mindset shift number one, ask yourself if this really matters. Mindset shift number two, memories over macros. Remember being self-aware and if you say yes, let your yeses be yes, and your nos be nos, no guilt attached. Mindset number three, just do it. Wear the shorts, wear the bathing suit. Stop trying to cover up or hide your flaws. Mindset number four, invest in summer clothes that you feel comfortable and competent in. It makes a world of a difference. Mindset shift number five, remember that no one judges your body like you are judging your body. You are your own harshest critic. Mindset shift number six, remember that the more authentically that you show up in the more comfortable and confident you are in your own body, the more comfortable and confident you make others feel to show up authentically themselves. And mindset shift number seven, stay in the present moment.
That is all that I have for you in this episode. I hope that you found it helpful. If you love this episode, I know you will also love episode 133, 4 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Body Standards. The number one reason why we struggle to embrace our real is because of the body standards that we hold for ourselves. But here's the thing, many of us are completely unaware of the body standards that we have, where they came from and why we hold ourselves to those standards and how toxic they really are. So that's why in episode 133, I give you four questions to ask yourselves about those body standards to help you become more aware of why you're unhappy with what your body looks like right now.
Thank you so much for tuning in. If you have a girlfriend or a coworker or a sister in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this episode, I just ask that you share it with them. You can copy the link and send it to them in a text message. You can screenshot this, post it up on your story. I love seeing your aha moments. And remember when you wear the dang shorts and when you wear the dang bathing suit, and when you finally just tell yourself, "This summer, summer 2021, I am just going to do it," I need you to tag me in those selfies so I can celebrate the heck out of you because I love you, and I'm cheering for you, and I cannot wait for you to show up authentically in your own skin this summer so that you can remind others just how beautiful they are as well. I love you so much. Thank you for tuning in and I'll talk to you guys in the next episode.
All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the 'gram, be sure to do so, juliealedbetter, Yes, it's with an A in the middle, for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it.