‘Tagging’ is the buzz word today where a ‘tag’ is attached to everything and everyone. Whether it be a price to pay,an indicator of social importance,a nickname,or one who is caught out,being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Extra thin is not good but it seems,socially acceptable. Slim to well built is good and is taken as the everyday ‘norm’. If you are overweight to obese, the tag of ‘fat ridicule’ quickly attaches. Supposedly playful comments from partners or friends,or just plain verbal bullying,can bring you down rapidly. Being ‘fat tagged’ is no laughing matter and no matter how much you are able to rise above it hurts,big time.
There can be nothing worse than to have an overweight dinner guest who feels it their duty to bore the pants off fellow diners, by intimately detailing how they lost 18 pounds (around 8 kilograms in metric fat) over two years. Though politely nodding and reassuringly admiring by return, that person is immediately mentally ‘tagged’ as the dinner guest not to invite next time. It’s not just informal gatherings where the ‘fat tag’ comes into play but also in the general run of day socialising.
Everyone understands weight gain and the ease by which it happens. We instinctively admire those that lose weight sensibly. Without hesitation we approve and engage,as the proof of the pudding (so to speak) is standing in front of us. If you have lessened your weight,it shows! It shows in your talk,your walk,your confidence and self-esteem. The effect is very much that of a ‘desert flower’ blossoming again as rain falls after a long hot drought. What is needed now is avoid the ‘dessert’ as much as possible with just an occasional visit.
There are times when we are stripped bare or half clothed. Either way, whether it is prior to lovemaking,daily bathing,beach lounging or dressing,we see our ‘bodily’ self. The conscious reaction to seeing oneself could be to:- (1) Kid our-self that what we see is not that bad (2) Shudder and shake our heads in disbelief at what we have become (3) Admire our-self, what we are or what we have physically achieved
Understanding our ‘self’ is of critical importance as the ‘self’ is our extremely deep rooted self-identity. How we see ourselves is crucial to our mental balance. If our view of our ‘self’ is as a weak and submissive individual,then weak and submissive we will become. Seeing our ‘self’ as an individual that has hidden depths and strength of character makes us that person.
If we are ridiculed, no matter if spoken or intimated with bantering love, we mentally record a deep hurt. It is in our private ‘me’ times that the fat-tag hurt most. Despair is quick to fill the pre-sleep and awakening moments and this gradually bleeds into the day unless action is taken. So it is with too much fat, each layer measured in a degree of sadness.
The way in which we see our ‘self’ is critical to our mental well-being. Our ability to stand with others,sociably happy, is a great feeling. If we feel that others are ‘fat tagging’ us, we are disturbed though not necessarily showing this discomfort, in company. We have to determine to strip the fat away and remove some of the lardy layers that weigh more heavily on our minds than our body. The trick is not to see our-self as ‘impossibly overweight’ but ‘possibly overweight’. We can deal with ‘possibly overweight’ as that self-impression leaves the door open for improvement.