While the hashtag #StrongNotSkinny has its problems, blogger Kathleen Elizabeth Tyler knows that many people have found value in it. However, she also wants to spread the message that there's more than one definition of strength — and it doesn't always include working hard at the gym.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, Tyler made the important point that there's more to strength than the physical resilience that we sometimes work towards.
"I often times see people in recovery saying that they aspire to be '#strongnotskinny,' so tonight I wanted to let y'all know that there are ways to achieve this goal that don't involve daily visits to the gym," she wrote.
She explained that while she herself doesn't go to the gym every day, she still considers herself a strong person.
"Kicking my eating disorder's ass = strong," she wrote. "Reporting my sexual abuse despite the fact that a majority of women in America are still to this day harshly accused of lying about the thing that destroyed their ability to feel safety = strong. Deciding to wake up and love myself everyday= strong. Advocating against the illness that almost took my life = strong."
"The next time you are getting down on yourself because you chose extra fries over exercise, please remember that strength isn't only found in lifting weights and sometimes choosing the extra fries is exactly the kind of strength that will allow you to defeat your demons," she concluded.
While being strong can mean many things to different people, Tyler makes the excellent point that, often, strength doesn't lie in your physicality. It's important to acknowledge your emotional resilience, too. Her post is also a great reminder to go easy on yourself and to take care of your mental well-being just as much as you do your physical health — and that's certainly a message that we can get behind.