Alicia Mccarvell shares 'moving' message about changing her 'inner dialogue'
Alicia Mccarvell has an important message about being kind to ourselves.
On Wednesday, the Canadian influencer took to Instagram with a photo of herself posing in front of a mirror while covering herself with a towel, paired with a detailed caption about learning to control her inner dialogue and limit negative self-talk.
"Have you ever noticed how much empathy and compassion you have for others when they are struggling with their body?" she asked her more than 910,000 followers. "As humans, most of us have this natural ability to console others and build them up when they are down — unfortunately, that same level of compassion is almost never transferred back onto ourselves when we struggle.
"You've heard the saying, 'We're our toughest critics.' Well, I prefer, 'We're our biggest bullies' because it's the truth. ... Learning how to be kind to yourself isn't easy."
Mccarvell shared that the first step in changing her inner dialogue was catching herself "being mean in the moment, which is harder than it seems because we don't even notice ourselves doing it."
"Then, I needed to replace myself from the conversation with someone I love — like my sister, for instance," she penned. "Suddenly, my advice was kind and thoughtful, and filled with empathy. It wasn't harsh, demeaning or abusive."
The Halifax-based body positive advocate then noted that "learning isn't linear."
"I have days where I say things I don't mean," she wrote. "I allowed my brain to bully my body because it always showed up. Just like any relationship in our lives, the one with our body can also be toxic and you wouldn't accept a toxic relationship for someone you love, so why do you accept it for you and your body?"
Mccarvell's post was met with supportive comments from fans who praised her for her honesty and thanked her for bringing attention to such an important issue.
"Alicia, thank you for explaining this in words I could not find," one fan commented, while another added, "So inspiring, Alicia! Love the vulnerability of this post. The language we use with ourselves is definitely a game changer in our mental, physical and emotional health!! Sending you love and appreciation."
"I love this. You are so incredible. Your strength, confidence and self-love are so contagious," wrote another.
One Instagram user chimed in, "Beautifully written. I've been working so hard not to bully myself and see the beautiful person my husband sees. Thank you for being such an honest person!"
"I really needed to read this right now. My brain has been awful to me over the last week. Thank you!" someone else shared.
Last month, Mccarvell shared another "extremely powerful" message with her Instagram followers, touching on seasonal depression and how to combat it, paired with a candid photo of herself in a pink, yellow and blue floral dress, flipping her dark, wavy locks.
"As the weather changes and the sun sets sooner, I am reminded of last year's depression," she wrote. "It snuck up on me, hit me like a brick wall and just as fast as it was here, it was gone and I was different."
"I believed depression was something I'd see coming, something I knew I was struggling with but it wasn't," she went on. "Depression left me in its dust picking up pieces it had strategically misplaced asking, 'What the f— just happened?'"
"One thing I do know is that I'm not willing to suffer alone again. I want this to be a safe space for me to share and most importantly I want this to be a safe space for you to share," she said. "So, for now, I keep moving, implementing what I've learned and hoping that it spares me. Please know you are not alone."
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