Self-Acceptance, Relationships & Body Image | Wednesday Waffles 4th Edition
Finding a space where you feel like you can be your true self starts with you accepting and appreciating the truth of who you really are.
This past weekend I went camping with a few friends and although the majority of them would say they aren’t spiritual, I felt completely safe and comfortable in the fullness of who I am in my humanness and in my spirituality.
I think back to 3 years ago and I didn’t feel this same way. Not because who I surrounded myself with back then were people that were wrong for me… instead because I hadn’t fully learned to appreciate who I was… so those old people pleasing tendencies and fear of being judged often impacted how I showed up.
I have a certain level of confidence today that I’ve never held previously in my life. I got here because of the self-development and spiritual connection work I’ve devoted myself to. If I went back in time to 2018 or 2020 or even 2022, and told that past version of myself where I’m standing in 2026 I don’t know if I would’ve believed myself. Not because I didn’t think this level of self-confidence existed… but because I was still so burdened by the fear of being judged, the insecurities that I wasn’t enough, and the desire to be loved by others.
So what would I say to that past version of me? Even if she doesn’t fully believe this present day life I’ve built. I would say, “Sydney, I want you to know that I see the hard work you are putting in to free yourself from the pain, the heaviness, and the outdated programming that doesn’t serve you. Keep going, the work you are doing is so important and it is changing the trajectory of your life. Things get easier, life becomes lighter, and that feeling you have… the one that says there is something more to life, you are here for something greater… well, that feeling is true. Your light shines through more and more, with every shadow you work through.”
Even though some of my friends aren’t spiritual like I am, I don’t hide myself. And guess what, my friends accept me for who I am because I ACCEPT ME!
Here is one of the conversations the four of us had this weekend.
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Back to the blog - Self-Acceptance, Relationships & Body Image | Wednesday Waffles 4th Ed.
Conversations I’m Having Lately…
It started out as a conversation on how we perceive our physical bodies. One of my friends mentioned how she is starting to work through some subconscious thoughts of self-hatred, and self-judgment around her body and how she looks. Quickly another friend responded by saying how she has an incredible body, but understands how that internal self-judgment can be so cruel.
We talked about sex. We talked about relationships. We talked about being people pleasers. We talked about how we perceive ourselves. We talked about how our understanding of all of this starts from a young age as societal pressure builds around us.
The societal pressure that has been cemented into your brain on how you view yourself and how you understand life is not always the healthiest perspective. The shame, the guilt, the judgment that is eating away at any amount of self-belief you have left, it causes you to doubt your own worthiness. Are you good enough? Are you worthy of receiving love? Will other people accept you for who you are?
You weren’t born with self-doubt. You were taught to carry it because society pressured you to believe that you have to look a certain way to fit in; you have to hit certain milestones by a certain age to be considered normal; you have to make yourself small as a woman, so you don’t make anyone else feel uncomfortable.
It’s all too much.
My friend that was finally noticing her subconscious thought patterns around the way she looked didn’t realize how much self-hatred she had been pouring into her own self-perception.
It’s not until you become aware of what’s laying beneath the surface that true change can happen. Decades of the subconscious cycle of self-judgment builds and it creates a narrative of believing you aren’t good enough and you aren’t worthy.
The change. It doesn’t happen in an instant.
It happens from practice.
I told my friend that learning to love her physical body takes practice.
When you first start to tell yourself loving, kind, supportive words you aren’t going to believe them. Because your belief system right now is built off all the societal pressure you grew up listening to. But over time, with practice, as you notice those old subconscious thought patterns, you can shift the narrative into one that feels lighter, supportive, and healing.
It was such a beautiful conversation of what we experience as women, the pain of how society portrays “the perfect woman”, and how we are calling back our power to be able to take up space without fearing that we are “too much”.
3 Tips I’m Remembering…
1 - You don’t need the bells and whistles to know your soul. You need to carve out time for intentional connection.
I’m always seeing different leaders, creators, mentors and coaches in the personal development/ spiritual field talking about all the tools they use to create the lives they have. Now when I started this work for myself, I didn’t have the money to be able to go buy all the things, or to join all the masterclasses, or to hire a personal mentor. (If you have the financial resources, then having extra support can be helpful… but it’s not necessary) The key to healing, the key to ‘finding’ your purpose, the key to building a life of peace, the key to knowing your soul… well, it’s about carving out time for intentional connection. Plan and simple. Anyone can do it, but you have to WANT it enough to show up and create that consistency. I wouldn’t be in the life I have today, one filled with freedom, purpose, peace, and deep soulful connection, if I didn’t spend the time getting to know my soul. This is what I do in meditation, journaling, reflection, dreaming, talking to my divine team, and understanding my energy/emotions. To have added support on your journey The Soul Care Space provides the resources to create intentional connection. It’s why I wanted to create something that was financially affordable for most people. Because you don’t need the bells and whistles to know your soul, you only need to carve out time for intentional connection.
2 - People come into your life for a season, a reason or a lifetime. You often don’t know where someone falls until much later.
Relationships are like a mirror. They can help show you parts of yourself that you’ve been blind to. They can show you where you are holding onto resistance and where healing is needed. As I remember this truth, it’s easier for me to grieve relationships and friendships that have ended because I’m able to appreciate what I learned through those people. There are thousands of people you’ve met, and they all have a different perspective of who you are or who you were when they knew you. Some people may have you titled the villain in their story, whereas others may have you as their savior. You don’t get to choose their story for you. You only get to choose how you view them and how you view yourself. As I remember this, it’s easier for me to not get caught up in how someone else perceives me because I always guide myself back to how I view myself. I’m remembering to hold the people of my past with love; and those that I struggle to hold with love, I’m choosing to release the internal pain I feel by showering myself with love.
3 - Nervous system regulation is a daily practice, a moment to moment practice.
If I don’t feel safe in my body then I won’t be able to make a decision from an aligned, calm state. When my nervous system becomes dysregulated or unbalanced I can feel stressed, overwhelmed, exhausted, tense, terrified, anxious, or worried. I’ve learned that life isn’t about being regulated or balanced 24/7/365. But it’s about noticing when I feel flustered, on the verge of being dysregulated and leaning into the practices that guide me through with more calmness. It’s not about having an answer all of the time. It’s about learning to comfort myself through the uncertainty. This is why energy work matters… learning about your energy, how you feel in your body, your emotions and how they affect your perception. All of this information you gather gives you a better understanding of yourself and the way you are influenced by the world around you. As you master your energy, you know how to lead yourself with courage and trust.
I feel like I’ve waffled on long enough this week about all things personal development and energy. I want you to know that I am really grateful for having you here to chat with because these are the kind of topics I can get lost in for hours upon hours. I know not everyone is interested in this kind of stuff, so to know that you love learning about your soul, your energy, and your emotions, makes me feel less alone in this world.
If you want to learn more about your soul and feel more deeply connected than ever before, then I strongly encourage you to try The Soul Care Space for a month. See how it feels to carve out intentional time to connect and understand your energy. The meditations, visualizations, soul chats, journal prompts and more, inside The Soul Care Space are all geared towards you mastering your energy and living from that soul-centered place of freedom, fulfillment and purpose. Try it out for a month and see how your daily habits shift by taking 5-25 minutes for soul connection.
Much love,
Sydney Smith
Spiritual Mentor
Founder of Adventuring with Poseidon Wellness
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