My Five Best Songs to Heal the ‘Body Blues’.

Everyone has those days, you know the ones where you don’t just feel like getting out of bed and when you finally do, a stranger greets you in the mirror. You look horrible; like did all that acne just sprout up over-night?? or did your eyes always look so blood-shot? And it doesn’t end there. You leave the bathroom and open your wardrobe, try on a couple of clothes but nothing seems to fit. Apparently you seem to have gained a few kilos over the night. You keep trying, and soon there’s a pile of clothes on your bed and you don’t know what to do so you just go with your favorite pair of baggy jeans (which make your ass look non-existent) and a T-shirt.

The day becomes two, then three and then next thing you know it’s been a week and your body is still feeling the ‘blues’.

Well, I’ve been there and while there’s usually nothing I can do and I just prefer to wait it out (hopefully it was just my period!), I’ve created a great playlist of good, body-luving songs to get me through those days. Hey! don’t thank me, I’m only happy to share. Below are my top five picks:

1. Pretty Hurts by Beyonce

This Sia-written master piece is probably my all-time favorite. The powerful lyrics combine with the stunning visuals to make a mockery of the life the society has forced us to live.

The video shows the lengths we go to to look pretty and blend in and how at the end we lose touch with who we truly are. The chorus cuts right to the heart of it:

Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever’s worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever’s worse
Tryna fix something
But you can’t fix what you can’t see
It’s the soul that needs the surgery

_Pretty Hurts

Next time you need a reminder of what is truly important, hit play!

2. Crooked Smile by J.Cole

Seriously, this song just gets me every. single. time. How could someone be so poetic and honest and see through a woman like that? And he’s a guy! Ah well. These beautiful lyrics were penned by Jermaine Cole and Meleni Smith and he did them justice with TLC on the hook.

Check out the mind-blowing lyrics as Verse 1 got me feeling like…

Love yourself, girl, or nobody will
Though you a woman I don’t know how you deal
With all the pressure to look impressive and go out in heels
I feel for you, killin’ yourself to find a man that’ll kill for you
You wake up, put makeup on
Stare in the mirror, but it’s clear that you can’t face what’s wrong
No need to fix what God already put his paintbrush on.

_Crooked Smile

And it only gets better in the second verse:

And baby girl, you a star, don’t let ’em tell you you’re not
Now is it real? Eyebrows, fingernails, hair
Is it real? If it’s not, girl, you don’t care
‘Cause what’s real is somethin’ that the eyes can’t see
That the hands can’t touch, that them broads can’t be
And that’s you,

_Crooked Smile

Got that? you’re the only thing that’s real, yes YOU!

3. Who You Are by Jessie J

‘It ain’t about the money, money, money…’ that’s my girl, talented and beautiful. This song is about being true to yourself and the danger in following the light of the ‘stars’ which fade so easily and leaves you empty.

As the chorus puts it:

Don’t lose who you are in the blur of the stars
Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing
It’s okay not to be okay
Sometimes it’s hard to follow your heart
Tears don’t mean you’re losing, everybody’s bruising
Just be true to who you are
There’s nothing wrong with who you are.

_Who You Are

So I hope you remember that there’s nothing wrong with who you are.

4. All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor

Hahaha. This song is my official ‘fat- girl’ anthem! I just love it’s sassi-ness. When I’m in need of some upbeat self-loving, it’s my go-to.

The video is pink, fluffy and unapologetic; which is exactly the message that the lyrics drive.

“I’m all ’bout that Bass, no Treble” is the singer’s way of saying: I’m going to be as big and loud and different as I please, I’m not going to tune it down for you!

Yeah, it’s pretty clear, I ain’t no size two
But I can shake it, shake it, like I’m supposed to do
Cause I got that boom boom that all the boys chase
And all the right junk in all the right places
I see the magazines working that Photoshop
We know that shit ain’t real, come on now, make it stop
If you got beauty beauty just raise ’em up
Cause every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top

_All About That Bass

That is me right there: I can dance for Africa! (if I do say so myself).

5. Unstoppable by Sia

Ok, if you didn’t already know, I’m nuts for Sia. Her lyrics are always so…I can’t describe it. This particular song is about digging deep inside you to find the strength to go on even when you feel like it’s not worth it anymore. It also reminds us to look beyond the masks that other wear and realize that we’re all just fighting to survive.

If you see someone else all put together and looking perfect when you feel like you are falling apart and you are tempted to either feel sorry for yourself or lash out at him/her, remember this:

All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this town
I’ll do it ’til the sun goes down and all through the night time
Oh yeah, oh yeah, I’ll tell you what you wanna hear
Leave my sunglasses on while I shed a tear
It’s never the right time,

_Unstoppable

Sometimes all you need is a little pep-talk:

I’m unstoppable
I’m a Porsche with no brakes
I’m invincible
Yeah, I win every single game
I’m so powerful
I don’t need batteries to play
I’m so confident, yeah, I’m unstoppable today

_Unstoppable

Cool right??

Bonus Tracks

For the days when you need an extra something:

• Scars to Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara
• Titanium By David Guetta ft Sia (Again!)

All lyrics from genius.com

Original picture by Mohammad Metri on Unsplash. Edited using Canva

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So what is YOUR ‘Body Blues’ Playlist? Let me know in the comments section. Until next time!