Living in a body is hard. It just is.

I haven’t been feeling my best lately.

I’m getting older and my body is changing and it’s a beautiful thing. I love living in this body, but it’s hard. Ironically, though, I sometimes wish it was harder because I still jiggle. I often forget that my jiggly-ness is one of my most beautiful qualities because it makes me human.

But I don’t blame myself for feeling the need to look or be a certain way in order to feel enough—we are bombarded with photoshopped photos and images of wrinkle-free skin and hourglass bodies every damn day. Comparison is virtually inevitable.

It is what it is. I feel this way sometimes and I let it be. I recognize it. I validate it. And I move on with my day with a little more gentleness and compassion because I know these feelings always fade. I’m grateful for the days my insecurities show their wicked little faces because it reveals what still needs to be healed.

The root of the insecurity is deep. I’ve spent what has felt like lifetimes trying to dig it up, and slowly, it has inched closer to the surface. It’s teaching me patience—something I’ve always lacked.

Pulling out the roots of my insecurities has been a long, painful process, and sometimes, I just want a damn bandage to cover the wound. So, that’s what I do.

I recognize the bandage will not heal the depth of my suffering, but sometimes, I just need a little relief. And one of my favorite tools is language—never underestimate the power of your mind. And, to me, an affirmation feels like the quickest and easiest way to “trick” my brain into believing what I’m saying.

Straight up, no affirmation is going to heal our troubles, but it sure as hell might help.

So, when I forget to recognize the badassery of my body, I repeat this affirmation to myself:

I jiggle, therefore, I am.

Yup, sometimes, that’s all I need—just a little reminder that every wiggle and jiggle of my body is a part of the extraordinary human experience.

Living in a body is hard. Living, in general, is hard. But we are living and that’s a freakin’ miracle.

This life is short and you’re here now. Be here. And why not jiggle a little while you’re at it?