Why I Need To Stop Making My Life a Game of Numbers

When we go shopping, we have a tendency to get stuck on the numbers. Let’s not do this anymore. 

Numbers, numbers everywhere. In our checkbooks, our projection numbers, our projects completed. It never ends. The numbers we most often pay attention to are the numbers on our dresses, jeans and on the scale and I think it’s time to stop.

I recently bought a dress in a size XL, thinking it would fit no problem. I’m down 21 pounds since the first of the year, so there’s no need for anything bigger. I wear a size L t-shirt and size 14/16 in dresses and pants. No way am I going to need a bigger size than an XL.

It came. I put it on and it was too small. So, I exchanged it for a 1X. It came. I put it on and it was too small. So, I exchanged it for a 2X. It came. I put it on and it was too small. So, I exchanged it for a 3X. It came, I put it on and it looked great, but I didn’t feel great knowing it was a 3X. Those are reserved for muumuus and I am far too young for a muumuu. I sometimes get so hung up on what I weigh and what size I wear. Now, I usually go by how I feel, but that 3X on the size tag made me feel like a slob.

I was going to check out how I looked and I confessed to a friend that it was a 3X and I wasn’t sure how to feel about that and she said, “They run small. It’s not you. You look great.” I don’t know if she knows just how good that made me feel, but it made me feel wonderful and when I think about what she said, I smile. A lot.

I have heard over the years that obsessing over numbers and sizes does no good for us or for our self esteem.

If only I could remember that.