It Is Safe to Love and Respect Myself

A Recent Observation

Taking time to witness the sunset and be at one with dogs and nature - pure magic 💫

I found myself in an environment where everyone was drinking. I don’t drink. I choose not to drink. I haven’t drunk for years. I don’t like the taste anymore. I used to drink, but I simply went off it. Mainly because I’ve changed.

I’m respecting my body. I respect what I put into my body. I don’t want just anything going in to fuel it because I’ve reached an age where I genuinely love and respect myself. I love and respect my body. I love and respect what it has done for me.

This body brought three beautiful children into the world.

It still allows me to run, jump, dance, move, walk and climb. I’m flexible. My body is home. it It is such a beautiful home, and I respect my home. I want my home to have the very best that I can give it.

For me personally, alcohol just doesn’t feel like the right choice anymore. It makes me feel low in energy. It doesn’t make me feel good. So I simply choose not to drink.

What I found interesting wasn’t that other people were drinking. That is their choice, and I would never judge anyone for that. We all have free will. Even my own children make different choices. One drinks occasionally, the others choose not to. That has never been something I’ve placed upon them. They have simply made their own observations about what alcohol does to their bodies.

What interested me was how quickly people sometimes make a comment when you say you don’t drink. I really feel that there is no malice in this - I feel it can be habitual.

However, there really is no need.

We’re all different. We’re all unique. We all make different decisions about what feels right for us.

When someone comments on another person’s choices, it’s worth asking why.

And equally, when I notice myself feeling uncomfortable after a comment, I also ask myself another question:

What part of me is judging me?

That is where the real work begins.

I don’t believe these moments happen by accident. I always think they’re a blessing. I come away, I think about them, I observe them, I sit with them. I talk to my spiritual team, and we gently explore what’s going on beneath the surface.

We often say that what we’re attracting is showing us something. It’s pointing us towards something within ourselves that still needs love, compassion or healing.

Perhaps there is still a part of me that worries how my choices are perceived. Perhaps there is still a tiny part of me seeking acceptance. If that’s true, then I welcome it with kindness rather than criticism.

Because at this stage in my life, I am deeply focused on giving my body the healthiest version of me that I can.

Not because I have to.

Because I choose to.

This is something that comes up regularly in the menopause programme too. So many women feel judged—for the way they look, the way they behave, their moods, for not being enough, for not looking a certain way, not doing things a certain way, or not performing to other people’s expectations.

So much of our lives can be spent trying to fit into someone else’s idea of who we should be.

But what if we simply gave ourselves permission to love and respect ourselves exactly as we are?

What if loving ourselves wasn’t selfish?

What if respecting our bodies wasn’t something we had to justify?

What if saying “no thank you” to something that doesn’t serve us didn’t need an explanation?

The truth is, when we truly love and respect ourselves, our choices naturally begin to reflect that. They won’t always make sense to other people, and they don’t have to.

The lesson for me wasn’t really about alcohol - It was about remembering that it is safe to honour myself.

It is safe to make choices that nourish me.

It is safe to be different.

It is safe to stand quietly in my own truth without needing anyone else’s approval.

And perhaps the greatest act of self-love is trusting that the life, body and path that are right for you don’t need defending.

They simply need honouring.

Take the time today to see how you may be justifying yourself to fit-in and take a deep breathe in, then honour what your truth is without expectation and release the breathe that doesn't serve you.

Much love,

Lorraine xx