Oprah Show Series: Have You Let Yourself Go?

We can always count on Oprah. If we need a good book, or a good chocolate, she's there with a recommendation and, if you happen to be in the audience, a sample. Perhaps Oprah is at her best, however, when you need a swift kick in the bottom - when you need someone telling it like it is, pulling no punches.

We turn to Oprah for weight loss advice and inspiration, tips on jeans that don't make our butts look big, and "girl, no you didn't" comments on our hair and makeup. So it's no surprise that Oprah, queen of the TV talk show and the best friend we've never met, has turned the makeover show on its head by offering us a series called "Have you let yourself go?"

Featuring the stories of real women who feel they've let a part of themselves go and wonder how to retrieve it, the series examines the plight of women who say they've lost a piece of themselves somewhere along the path. One woman featured on the first episode of the series was Cheryl, who became a mom 4 years ago and feels she's lost a part of herself to motherhood.

"I chose to stay at home", she said in her confessional cam. She pointed to her clothes and hair and noted that she cares little about either and then plaintively said, "I feel I've lost a lot of myself."

According to Oprah.com, 90% of respondents in a recent survey at the website admitted they have let themselves go. The women featured on the series of shows have a variety of life stories to tell, from abuse and weight gain to broken relationships and significant life changes that brought them to a point, they say, of losing themselves and letting themselves go.

The Oprah message boards have been buzzing since the first shows aired. Women confess they know exactly how the show guests feel, and share similar stories of putting others first, feeling depressed, gaining weight and feeling hopeless and helpless to put things right.

One woman said she lost her job 4 years ago, moved into a contracted job for two years and is now out of work. She identifies, she says, with the issues presented on these Oprah shows. "I feel like I have let knowing who I am go", she wrote. "I have been settling and I don't want to settle for just anything. I want to get back on track. I need help and I want to make a comeback - Why am I scared to look at myself? I need to bring that to the surface."

Oprah doesn't dwell on people's problems without offering experts and solutions, and for this series, she offers us Dr. Robin Smith who has suggested a vast reading list to help us in our bid to pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off, and get our new life.

Some of the suggested reading includes:

The Woman's Comfort Book, by Jennifer Louden The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth, by M. Scott Peck, MD. Getting the Love You Want, by Harville Hendrix, PhD. Necessary Losses, by Judith Viorst The Language of Letting Go, by Melody Beattie The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, by Don Miguel Ruiz Family Secrets: The Path to Self-Acceptance and Reunion, by John Bradshaw

In this quest to help women renew themselves, Oprah has also brought a personal trainer on board. Jeanette Jenkins offers up daily exercise and eating plans. Visit Oprah.com for the plan, or you can download a printable version of it there as well.

Finally, the Oprah.com website is also offering an online journaling tool called a "discovery journal". The "Who am I?" journal is designed to help you discover yourself, says Dr. Robin. That, she suggests, might be the first step toward retrieving the part of yourself you thought you lost.


 
 

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