There’s advice which my meditation teacher once gave to me when I told her about the bothersome itches and thoughts I had during our many meditations.
She said, “Whenever you have an itch, you have two options: You either itch it and move on, or you let it go and never think about it again.”
You have to make a choice. Either let it go because it doesn’t bother you as much as it may have in one previous moment or just itch the spot that’s tickling you.
The biggest ‘itch’ I’ve ever had was my nose. Since kindergarten, it’s the most prominent body part I’ve thought about. After a girl in kindergarten punched me, I always had a bump on my nose which caused me to be self conscious most of my life. I requested nobody ever take side profiles of me because I couldn’t stand looking at it, nor would I ever fully embrace my face the way it should have been after the breaking of my nose.
Until I realized that I could change it.
I whole-heartedly believe that you can and should change whatever you please, whether it’s up, down, or next to your body. After all, it’s your life and if something makes you happy then do it. And if you don’t like it, then change it – but at least – do something.
Now, growing up, I promised myself I would never need or choose plastic surgery because ‘I don’t need it to be beautiful.’
So much is true. I really don’t need it.
Now, that’s not to say that things don’t change because they do, and they should. One of the most important things I’m learning as I’m growing older is that just because I said something when I was 5 doesn’t mean that I have to to continue living my life with it.
Now, if you’re reading this because you’re considering changing a physical part of your body, here are 3 things to ask yourself.
1. Why am I doing this?
Whenever you do something to your body, make sure it’s for you and not anybody else. The implications of surgery are serious and recovery isn’t easy. If you’re not doing this for you, hold off until you get clear on your why.
2. If you could get your dream anything, what does that look like?
Have examples ready: photos, feelings, prescriptive words of what you want the “it” to look like. Be honest about what you like and don’t hold back if something the doctor says doesn’t feel good. You’ll live with this updated you forever so make sure it’s exactly what you want. At the same time, be open to adjustments depending on your shape and genes – for example Bella Hadid’s nose isn’t going to look good on me but Sofia Richie did.
3. Make sure you have a support system
You can’t do everything on your own. Make sure you have friends or family members to drive you to the surgery and follow-up appointments. Mine was super last minute and I wish I had more support throughout the entire process so I didn’t have to process everything on my own.
Doing you is a personal journey and it should look different than what other people have done. Yes, it’s great to make calculated decisions and understand the landscape in which you’re playing in but at the end of the day, DO YOU.
You got this, babe!