lately, if you know me, you know about my recent journey with lifting–i’ve become something of a gym rat, and it’s something i’m super passionate about (but that’s another story for another time).

i was in a conversation with a friend recently and we were talking about eating disorders, and i stepped back and realized that i was actually more concerned with eating too little than eating too much, more concerned with my strength being lost than looking skinny.

this is a far cry from who i was in earlier years–being one of the only runners with “birthing hips” (as termed by my coach in a SUPER awkward conversation my senior year), i never saw myself as skinny or tiny. and i never let myself eat enough to support my athleticism.

fast forward to me as a weightlifter. just last night, i was forcing myself to eat a little bit more to meet my calorie goal for the day. i’ve started working with a flexible eating plan that gives me specific numbers to hit every day, and i actually find it difficult to eat as much as i should (man, bulking is so great!). i’m not worrying about my size, i’m worrying about what’s going to drive me to a better workout next time i hit the gym. i’m not looking at food as something to be guilty about, i’m looking at it as necessary fuel.  lifting has changed my perspective–and it changed my story.

i never struggled with a legitimate eating disorder in earlier years, although i “envied the willpower of anorexics.”  but i knew a lot of people who did, and whose relationship with food is still marred and guilt-driven many years later. and i do know the struggle of a marred perspective and a disfigured outlook–when your perspective on something is only driven by guilt or fear, your story can only be hurtful and pressured.

the encouragement here is that it is never too late to change your perspective–if that means spinning around and looking at something a different way, starting a hobby, or investing in a change of scenery, i recommend it wholly. because even for things that CAN be destructive, your anxiety about the problem will be more of a barrier in your journey than the actual problem would ever be. and that is GOOD news! because often, we can’t change our problems. our perspective, however, is only in our own hands.

my grandma said constantly to me growing up, “if you can’t change the situation, change your mind.” when i was a kid, i hated it every time she said it. now i can see so much truth in the words–your problems aren’t as much mountains as they are molehills with a simple change in perspective.

try looking at things a different way–if you change your perspective, you might change your whole story into something greater.