“How could she let herself go like that?”

“Wow, she really let herself go.”

I’ve heard people say these words with a slow shake of their heads.⁣

I hear this phrase often when a woman gains weight. When her usually slender frame gains another layer. When she takes up more space than she used to. When she doesn’t have the time to dress up and the two craps to give about calorie counting, the scale, ANY OF IT.

But, you know what I think?

She didn’t let herself go. In fact, she’s done quite the opposite. She’s letting herself live.

She’s too busy making memories with her kids, sharing chicken fingers, and comforting their fragile hearts to put makeup on and get her hair colored every time she sees a gray.

She’s too busy living and enjoying to put that useless pressure on herself. So instead, she's accepted the cellulite on the back of her thighs, stomach sprinkled with stretch marks and extra skin as a gift from her babies. They’re a representation of her strength as a mom.

So really:

She’s let herself go of worrying about appearances.

She’s let herself go of the traditions she was raised with but never felt at home.

And she’s finally free of societal constraints.

So, the next time you hear “she let herself go,” look past her messy bun, and her mesh shorts, to her happy heart—and know that she’s free.

And smile for her because you know she’s never looked better, and felt more 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book "Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder" is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId