Women

Women
Nepal 2016

Monday 24 July 2017

Balancing The Scales

22nd July 2017 (Day 12)

Its interesting that those that embark on a get fit campaign more often than not throw away all sensibility and sense of who they are on the inside.  There is so much that makes up our multifaceted lives and so much that needs to be considered when lifestyles changes are occurring.

I for one love to enjoy a red wine, I love yoga, I love being a busy Mum to two young minds, I love gardening, being outdoors, working, listening to live music, going to the gym, being a friend, study, horse riding, researching new things, writing and so the list goes on and on and on.


Day 12 Enjoying a wine after a three hour yoga release.

In amongst all of these magnificent things we set our minds to in our days there needs to be balance between who we are on the inside and who we are on the outside, sometimes its hard to balance those scales.  Not only are we all of the labels we designate ourselves but as the famous Cooley expressed in the looking glass self we are a reflection of who we perceive others see us to be.  This makes our social interactions pretty complex when you think about it.

“I imagine your mind, and especially what your mind thinks about my mind, and what your mind thinks about what my mind thinks about your mind.” Charles Horton Cooley  (Vogt Isaksen 2013)

How is it we can balance those scales when there are so many interjections into life now that give us an indication of how we perceive each other?  Has it made it harder or is it that telling our own story through social media or use of technology gives us some security in how we assume to be perceived.  And whether that interaction on social media is for yourself, for others or for some kind of alternate reality, we as individuals who choose to engage probably need to consider the reasons why, removing some of our egos and being real with ourselves.

Who we are on the inside is a reflection in some sense of who we wish to be and by projecting our innermost feelings onto a social platform are we then trying to balance a scale that may be a little out of wack?  For instance even though I may be on a health kick and others perceive this to be because  I am overweight, its possible that it doesn't stop there, there is so much more to the story!

On the inside I feel like a really exuberant person.  I have a deep empathy for many things and feel I would like to give freely in life anything I can manage.  I feel as though I am capable of love that is uninhibited, that I can impart a great wealth of knowledge when I am able to maintain a feedback loop in conversation.  I feel I love to absorb and can absorb new information, I feel like I have a boundless energy, a passion for adventure and and ability to smile, laugh and play with all those around me.  Yet on the outside I see myself as overweight and inhibited due to the story I tell myself that has been created by the society I live in.   Don't get me wrong, knowing this I have still made my own choices over the years whether these be right or wrong, but it is still the social construct I live in that has given me these tools of choice,


Day 10 A little exhausted, literally spent all day in bed!

So you see balancing the scales so to speak goes further than my weight, goes further than what I perceive others assume me to be, goes way further than what  in the short term I feel I can do to improve my physical health.  It goes so much further because what I am made of is all the things that are on the inside, so while I work toward a healthier version of me I hope to impart some of my exuberance that is stored on the inside to support anyone that is interested in joining me to balancing their own scales holistically and with and enthusiastic healthy love for themselves.


Day 9 Hopefully I can inspire you to balance your scales :) 

Reference
Vogt Iskasen, J 2013, 'The looking glass-self: how our self image is shaped by society', Popular social Science: Bridging the gap, viewed 24th July 2014, http//:http://www.popularsocialscience.com/2013/05/27/the-looking-glass-self-how-our-self-image-is-shaped-by-society/.

Image 1: Day 12, 2017 K Waddell 
Image 2: Day 10, 2017 K Waddell 
Image 3: Day 9, 2017 K Waddell 



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