Your Struggle is NOT Your Identity!

I heard a commercial; you know the one? It was medication for people that ‘struggle with obesity’.

"That’s odd", I thought. Many things are a struggle for me:

• parallel parking
• online banking
• growing the nail on my left index finger
• reaching anything in my house without a stepstool
• keeping my witness when six lanes merge into two and someone decides they can make their own lane and waits until the last minute and cuts in front of me
• keeping the rules of soccer AND hockey AND basketball straight when it looks like the same sport with different round objects, shouting, beer-drinking, profanity, and uniforms
• remembering all my many passwords

But, obesity?

No… that seems like a pretty easy thing. No struggle at all. I can make that grade without any effort on my part.

Evidentially I have been struggling, though, according to advertised medical experts. So even on days when I feel pretty well put together, I have been struggling.

Do I feel like I accomplished a lot today? WRONG! I have been struggling with obesity.

Do I feel good about tackling the household chores, washing, and folding, and cleaning, and bringing order? WRONG! I have been struggling with obesity!

Does my hair fall just right? My glasses bring out the blue in my eyes? Have I been kind today? Thoughtful? Helped another? WRONG! I have been struggling with obesity!

And That's Not All!

The side effect of this advertised medication is odd, too. The advertising states that it may cause ‘suicidal thoughts’.

Now, that’s just what I need.

• Like, fitting into a pair of black slacks that MUST have shrunk in the wash isn’t already depressing enough.
• Like, deciding wearing my hair up only makes my neck look like I have a goiter isn’t depressing enough.
• Like, I'm already pushing against generational depression, inclination towards addictive behavior, yearning for Diet Coke, and fighting my gray roots, Isn't that depressing enough?
• Like, well. Like anything isn’t already enough without medication pushing you down even more.

I’m sure that medication is the solution for someone. But I don’t believe that the solution is in a pill. At least, not the whole solution. Do I believe that life's problems can be solved by a solution found in a commercial between blind auditions of the Voice? That seems improbable.

I want to be clear: There’s nothing wrong with taking medication when it’s needed. Partnering with a doctor to determine a thoughtful way to use medication and any other treatment is a sound path to follow.

It's Already Not Easy

Yes, the struggle is real. It's there. Weight is my struggle, and I'm actively finding ways to work with the way my body chemistry is configured, and with my natural preference not to sweat, and find a way to eat that nourishes my body without destroying my soul.

But- we all have our struggles. They may be big and obvious, or secret and well-hidden. Some don't have prescriptions purported to fix them trumpeted across the media, some struggles might not look like struggles to everyone else. But they are there just the same.

We are not our struggles. I am not my struggle.

I am not my weight,

or my age,

or my gender,

or my income,

or my heritage.

~

I am my heart,

my fire,

my spirit,

my intuition,

my compassion,

my faith,

my potential,

my courage.

~

I am not a dog (I don't need a treat)

or in a holding pattern until my body conforms to a less-Rubenesque norm.

I am made of stars.

Though I struggle, I am not struggle.

I persevere.

~~~

This is not the first time I've written about body image or weight.

Here’s something that's not a struggle: let me know what your thoughts are after reading this article. Thoughts about advertising? Thoughts about body image?

And while you’re here, please do one or all of the following!

1. Click on the little heart to let me know that this clicked with you.

2. Click on the subscribe button and get a FREE notification when my next post goes live.

3. Feel free to share a link to anything I write on your social media.

4. A one-time tip or even a monthly recurring tip/pledge to support my writing is always appreciated if you are so moved! The buttons for that are just below.

You can also find me on Medium, where a version of this was first made available, AND you can find me on Threads!