Sitting in the Gynecologist’s office is never a pleasant experience. It doesn’t matter how many times in the number of years you have been in the exact same place, you never truly get comfortable with any part of the gynecological exam. For those of us who are mothers let us not forget the numerous visits to the Obstetrician’s office, while carrying another human or two or three inside of us, waiting to be examined- oh the pleasantry of it all! But as much as we want to complain and put off these important appointments, it is definitely something we must all go through at least every year of our lives (hello annual exam).
But what is the point of this article and why did I begin it by painting a picture in a Gynecologists’ office and possibly making most women go right to holding their abdomen while reading this (I hope not!). Well, I want to remind the universe that women are amazing. Yes amazing, not just because we have to go to these regular appointments, but because those same appointments are typically associated with a number of very important issues regarding our health, that have us sitting there praying to the Gods that there is nothing wrong with us.
Apart from the day to day hustle and all the other roles we have to play, we have these wonderful female issues we have to deal with most of the time (on a monthly basis just isn’t enough right?). Yes this makes women amazing, this makes them warriors, a superhero, a superstar, the queen and whatever glorious name you would like to use- because not only do we have to learn to survive in this male-dominated world, but we have crazy hormones that yank us in different directions every month, like we don’t have enough on our plate.
We often compare ourselves to one another, maybe a little too much. These days with all of the social media platforms creating unrealistic ‘ideal’ body images, we tend to drown in our sorrows obsessing over looking as good as the mom of 4 who has a six pack and looks hot in a bikini (i.e. fitness model who works out for a living), to the perfect size 0 mom of 2 who dropped all of the weight in a jiffy (the one blessed with an amazing metabolism even post baby/babies).
Then we tend to forget that every woman is unique. We each have our own story, our own life circumstances, and we forget just how truly blessed and magnificent we really are. Because sometimes getting lost in all of the body image hype can have an impact on our wellbeing. If we continue to place these absurd body image pressures on any woman, the mom; the one trying for a baby; the one who wants no children; the teenage girl going through all of the fun times of hormone changes; the older women who is dreading menopause- then we are creating an unhealthy society that only we have the power to change. Women have to support women. If we don’t, then how can we expect anyone to do the same- it starts with all of us amazing warriors, we must be the change.
Nothing is impossible as long as we try. I use this phrase on my children and repeat it to them every time they feel like giving up on something they say they can’t do. There is no such thing as not being able to do something. If we give anything our best shot, with all of our heart, nothing is impossible. We all face many challenges in this life, some of us more so than others, but nothing should set us apart, not one person is better than the other.
Next time you are reading a magazine or scrolling through your social media news feed, please be kind, please be understanding, please always love you for exactly the way you are. Kindness starts within us- let’s all lift each other up and not tear one another down. Let’s not place any restrictions on ourselves, and live in the moment cherishing every one of those moments, accepting our flaws, admitting we are not perfect and believing in ourselves, it all starts with us.
Women fit into all different categories. The mother, the wife, the grandmother, the sister, the daughter, the aunt, the cousin, the best friend, the girlfriend, the lover, the dreamer- and to all of you I salute you and I hope we all fix one another’s crown once in a while instead of ripping it right off.
Pause for a minute today and let another woman know that she is amazing, she is a warrior, she is magnificent, she is beautiful, just the way she is. When we stop placing all of the pressures of the world on our shoulders, we can achieve incredible things.
