17/10/2025
I read a prompt by Richard Schwartz the other day that asked:
“If you could go back and talk to your younger self, what would you say?”
Seeing it in front of me (yes, that’s Fiona, aged 5) was powerful!
And rather than coming up with things to say to myself, I felt intense gratitude!
And that gratitude centred around my body.
I wanted to say to that young child - I’ve looked after you.
I’ve cared for and nourished this body…
At times, I’ve spoken cruelly to her, but this was a reminder that she never deserved that!
She always deserves to be spoken to with respect, with love and with kindness…
She deserves to be encouraged, to be supported, to be cheered on…
And I thought, “imagine telling that child that you were going to put her on a scales every day and tell her she wasn’t good enough because of her weight….”
Imagine telling that child that you were going to restrict her food every day because you didn’t like how she looked!
It made me feel sick to think that I ever thought that way.
And once again, I felt immense gratitude to know that I have the power to nourish that child with movement and great food…
I get to choose a path of growth!
This was a really lovely exercise and one I would definitely encourage…
