“Dear Body, I’m Sorry”: A Woman’s Apology Letter to Herself

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During her Be Well Philly Bootcamp talk this past Saturday, health coach Jessica Procini revealed one of her secrets to weight loss: Tell your inner critic to Shut. The. Hell. Up. And embrace your inner cheerleader, already. And Jessica isn’t the only one suggesting we give our inner critics the boot. Last week, health blog She Just Glows published a guest post in the same vein: In the post, a woman named Libby Reilly apologizes to her body for constantly hating on it for what it isn’t instead of appreciating it for everything that it is.

If you’re guilty of hating on yourself from time to time—let’s be real, who isn’t?—then this touching letter is a great reminder to cut that crap out and give your body the TLC it deserves. Here’s a bit of what Reilly had to say to herself (Note: you might want to have a box of Kleenex within reach):

I am sorry I have filled you with sub-par things and expected you to work to your fullest potential. I am sorry I deprived you of sleep, nutrition, laughter, and made you spend way too many hours staring at, and obsessing over, a number on a scale. I judged you by that number and I realize now how wrong that was. You should have instead been judged by the strength you possess, the lines around my mouth that point to how many smiles we have given to others, and the freckles that dance around my skin for they remind me of all the wonderful days we have spent in the rays of the pleasant sun.

I am sorry for all the excuses that were made to not fuel you with exercise. We are so much happier and full of energy when we are active! I am also sorry for all the times I filled you with improper food because I thought I deserved it, or the times I deprived you of calories all together because I thought I didn’t deserve them. I deserve to be fueled. I deserve to give my body nutrition to live and thrive. This is just another thing it has taken me so long to realize.

Check out the full letter here.

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