I used to think being a woman was about looking beautiful, having my nails painted and pampering myself. And that nurturing myself was having massages often and having a pedicure. I was always very focused on having a great body – muscular and lean and I took pride in displaying that body that I had worked hard for to show to others how I was taking care of myself. I pretty much strutted it around.

I remember running my body into the ground in order to maintain this image I had painstakingly created for myself which included maximising a gym membership and taking yoga classes – all in the quest to be as beautiful as all of the women I saw on magazine covers.

I felt the pressure to be perfect, flawless, fit and pretty in order to have a happy life and the man of my dreams. 

Growing up, I pretty much relied on what I read in teenage and women’s magazines for the endless advice and tips on how to be a woman (as I wasn’t receiving the information from another source) such as what I needed to look like and how to have great abs in ten days (because I didn’t have great abs, I was carrying some ‘podge’ around the middle). I found in these magazines pretty much everything that was expected of me as a woman.

It was about bettering and improving and creating myself from the start. I don’t remember anyone telling me I was already beautiful and that I didn’t need to do anything to become that… perhaps it may have saved a life time of trying so hard to live up to a perfect image if they had.

Esoteric Women’s Health introduced a whole new perspective on what being a woman could possibly be about. I had never heard of a woman caring deeply for herself and honouring herself. It had always been about creating the picture and then maintaining the image, how others would see me and that would tell me if I was on track or not.

What was this honouring about? I had never heard of it, in fact I had never fathomed appreciating myself let alone accepting and liking what I saw when I looked in the mirror – rather it was ‘what can be improved’, what is wrong with me, what is less than perfect.

There is so much that I have now come to appreciate about myself and about other women thanks to the information that has been offered through Esoteric Women’s Health. This information has been very supportive and I have come to realise through the experiences that other women have shared, that they have also faced similar challenges as women in society.

As a result of the enormous support provided through Esoteric Women’s Health, which includes attending Esoteric Women’s presentations, receiving Esoteric Breast Massages and Esoteric Ovary Massages, I have let go of a lot of unloving notions that I had about myself. I have come to appreciate my inner beauty and I no longer feel the need to change myself, better myself or compare myself to other women.

I have let go of a lot of jealousy of other women which I came to realise that I had been feeling as a result of comparing myself to other women all of the time.

By getting to know who I really am and not trying to live up to anything has also helped my relationships with others and I am far more open and understanding as a result. I have learnt to listen to my body and not to ignore it. When I’m tired I stop – I had never considered this was even a choice before – there was always so much to be done that I would push myself to do it all. I now make time for myself every day and I take far greater care of myself and my body than I ever have as a result of Esoteric Women’s Health. This feels really good to do.

I have come to understand that being a woman is just as simple as giving myself permission to be me, the real me, not some image of what a woman should be and that my worth is not measured by my appearance or for what I do. It has taken such a burden away now that I’m no longer feeling the pressure to have to always live up to something or someone… that was very exhausting.

I now know taking care of myself to be something far deeper than simply painting my nails or pampering myself. By making choices that support me throughout the day, listening to my body and my own knowing, I am loving and appreciating myself more every day… and I feel amazing.

By Deb McInnes