We always know we can count on Oprah. If we need a good book or chocolate, she's there with a recommendation and, if you happen to be in the audience, a sample. But maybe Oprah is at her best when you need a swift kick in the rear, when you need someone to tell you the truth and not hold back.
We watch Oprah for tips on how to lose weight and get motivated, for advice on jeans that don't make our butts look big, and for her "girl, no you didn't" comments about our hair and makeup. So it's not surprising that Oprah, the queen of TV talk shows and the best friend we've never met, has turned the makeover show on its head by giving us a series called "Have you let yourself go?"
The series looks at the plight of women who say they've lost a part of themselves and don't know how to get it back. It tells the stories of real women who feel like they've lost a part of themselves and don't know how to get it back. Cheryl, who became a mom four years ago and feels like she's lost a part of herself since then, was one of the women in the first episode.
She said in her confessional cam, "I chose to stay at home." She pointed to her clothes and hair and said that she doesn't care much about either of them. She then said in a sad voice, "I feel like I've lost a lot of myself."
According to a recent survey on oprah.com, 90% of the people who answered said they had let themselves go. The women in the series of shows have many different things to say about their lives, from being abused and gaining weight to having relationships end and major life changes that, they say, made them lose themselves and let go.
Since the first show, people have been talking on the Oprah message boards. Women say they know exactly how the show guests feel and share similar stories about putting others before themselves, feeling depressed, gaining weight, and feeling like they can't fix things and have no hope.
One woman said that she lost her job four years ago, took a temporary job for two years, and is now unemployed again. She says that she can relate to the things that are talked about on these Oprah shows. She wrote, "I feel like I've lost track of who I am." "I've been making do with what I have, and I don't want to do that anymore. I want to go back to where I was. I want to come back, but I need help. Why am I afraid to look at myself? I need to get that out in the open."
Oprah doesn't talk about people's problems without giving them experts and solutions. In this series, she gives us Dr. Robin Smith, who has given us a long list of books to help us get up, dust ourselves off, and start a new life.
Some of the books that should be read are:
- Jennifer Louden's The Woman's Comfort Book
- M. Scott Peck, MD's book, The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth.
Getting the Love You Want, written by Harville Hendrix, PhD.
- Judith Viorst's Necessary Losses
- Melody Beattie's The Language of Letting Go
- Don Miguel Ruiz's "The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom"
- John Bradshaw's Family Secrets: The Path to Self-Acceptance and Reunion
Oprah has also hired a personal trainer as part of her plan to help women start over. Jeanette Jenkins gives plans for what to eat and how to exercise every day. You can find the plan at oprah.com, where you can also download a copy to print.
Lastly, the Oprah.com website has something called a "discovery journal" that you can use to write in an online journal. Dr. Robin says that the "Who am I?" journal is meant to help you find out who you are. She says that could be the first step to finding the part of yourself you thought you had lost.
