Express & Star

Don’t try to be what you’re not

Read the latest Express & Star talking point by Sharlie Morais

Published
Getting enough greens?

It’s that time of the year where we look at ourselves in disgust at how we eaten our body weight at Christmas.

This year I had an early start, September it was, the “gooo onnnn it's Christmas” talk began, Halloween hadn’t even kicked in.

It’s the top of the year and our cupboards and fridges get fresh makeovers, we google recipes, buy lots of fruit, along with a couple bags of kale and spinach.

We make smoothies so good we contemplate opening a little smoothie shop, of course that thought quickly passes due to other financial obligations, it is January after all!!

We start talking like we have a master’s degree in health, me in the office last week “Guys you need to try turmeric it’s amazing the benefits are remarkable, it’s a life changing thing, I’ve read up on all the science , I feel so refreshed and new”, guys I watched one two-inute video and drank it four times!

So, we mentally prepare ourselves for change we visualise our future it’s bright and its body perfect! We look in the mirror pulling and tugging at body parts saying to ourselves, ‘if only I could just lose this and grow that I’d be happy!’ But we are the bosses of our happiness. Try not to tell yourself you’d be happy looking different, say It would be an improvement on an already fabulous me, play music and have your own little ‘me dance’ every day at home, I swear by this, a fly on the wall would be entertained I tell you!

We have some amazing public figures who are promoting individuality and being unique in every way people like Munroe Bergdorf is just doing her and standing up to what she believes in, we need more inspirational people like her. I do like to make an effort, but if I decided not to one day, and someone judged me for it or thought less of me then there’s a hand gesture waiting for them! If the basic hygiene essentials are followed, I’m still me, I will still work hard, have a laugh and be as creative as I can be in life, basically my mind still works the same regardless!!

I can’t be the amazing Steff London with her tiny frame, snatched waist and round booty, but I can be the best Sharlie Wolverhampton. Don’t beat yourself up and put yourselves through diets that depress you and have you shaking and hiding under you blanket away from temptation until summer. Just slowly do more and push yourself a little out your comfort zone each time.

If you are working on you, I suggest you lay of Instagram and Snapchat just a tad not only because you can get lost in somebody else’s “perfect world”, which we all know by now may not be that perfect. Some of these social media sites can be a huge distraction from your to do list.

You’re in a whirlwind becoming obsessed with ‘likes’ and getting that social media status.

I mean days out and nights out are planned for the purpose of posting a few photos.

We are forgetting how to be in the moment and truly enjoy ourselves and how to truly interact and have actual eye contact.

There’s nothing wrong with capturing memories, I love looking back at photos that tell cute stories.

I’m not here to say don’t use social media, I use it myself, just don’t let social media devour us and make us think we have to be someone or something else.

I know you’ve heard it before, but happiness starts from within, it really does it taken me a while to realise that.

Surround yourself with people who make you happy, laugh at your jokes and love you inside out warts and all.

I know we may have that annoying family member who comments on our image at every given opportunity, I do, just smile and wave like the queen or king you are and go home and do your “me dance”. Don’t try and impress someone else impress yourself first, like wow I did that.

I love the idea of New Year, New challenge just do it for yourself first, we were never intended to look the same as somebody else, unless you’re a twin of course, even then something makes you an individual.

As I said earlier work on being the best YOU and put that foot forward , Now go on hug yourself!