Mitch London On How To Learn To Finally Love Yourself

Get naked! That is probably the most difficult and yet the easiest. Once I took the step in 2010 to try nudism I have never looked back. I get home from work now and within minutes the clothes come off and with them go the stresses of the day. Pick a time when you can relax at home and just do it in the nude. Watching TV, cleaning the house, cooking a meal or whatever you are doing at home, just try it in the nude. At first it will feel different, because it is, but soon you will feel more relaxed, and it will become something you look forward to.

As a part of our series about “How To Learn To Finally Love Yourself” we had the pleasure to interview Mitch London.

Being overweight while growing up, Mitch felt ashamed of his body. It led him to avoid exercise in high school. When he turned forty he made a decision to visit a clothing optional park and that led him to a path where he was able to accept and appreciate himself and eventually becoming the President of the American Association for Nude Recreation.

Thank you so much for joining us! I’d love to begin by asking you to give us the backstory as to what brought you to this specific career path.

I became a card-carrying member of the Southwest Region of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) in 2010 as well as my local club, Hill Country Nudists (HCN) in Austin. About two years later I was on the board of HCN and a year after that, I was on the AANR-Southwest regional board. I have remained on the board of HCN ever since holding various positions from President, Vice President, Public Relations to my current position of Activities Coordinator. I moved up the ranks in the regional board as well, holding various offices including President for 4 years. I thought I would settle back after that, but fate had other plans. I became President of AANR in 2022 and will finish out my two-year term in August of 2024.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you hope that they might help people along their path to self-understanding or a better sense of wellbeing in their relationships?

Our organization has a Women in Nude Recreation (WINR) project that has the chairperson travelling across the Northwest to help inspire women to embrace nudism through community, camaraderie, and connection on the “WINR on Wheels ImPerfect Summer Series”. She sets up a booth at different resorts to help others learn ways to battle negative self-talk and get strategies for boosting self-esteem which in turn creates stronger mental well-being.

This project is a major step in helping women with self-acceptance issues and can lead a much healthier outlook on life.

Do you have a personal story that you can share with our readers about your struggles or successes along your journey of self-understanding and self-love? Was there ever a tipping point that triggered a change regarding your feelings of self acceptance?

I grew up running and playing like most other kids, just not as much. In high school I was very self-conscious of my weight, so much so that I would try not to sweat in gym class so I wouldn’t have to get undressed in the locker room and shower. In college, I would drive everywhere, to class, to lunch, even just across the street, to avoid walking. Years later at a doctor’s visit my weight reached 302 pounds. That number shocked me and I vowed to try and get my weight down. I tried diets. That helped some. I tried the gym; it also helped a little. But nothing was helping me deal with the body image shame I still clung to, so I never really tried very hard.

In 2009 I started doing some research on the web about how to improve body image and came across nudism. As many people do, I giggled at the thought, thinking “I could never do that”. In that same period, I was going to the occasional chili cookoff to try my luck. It just happened that there was a nudist resort not too far from me that was hosting a chili cookoff in a couple months. That intrigued me.

I decided that, like practicing for a cookoff, I would practice for the nudist aspect. Fortunately, there was a clothing optional park next to the lake that I could visit. I decided to go on a weekday, so there would be as few others as possible, being still a bit skeptical and scared. I went to the park and the warm sun, and the cool breeze was already enticing. I have always loved the outdoors and nature. I found a spot, did the double look around me to ensure I was alone and stepped out into nature in naught but my birthday suit. After a short time enjoying the breeze and the sun, I felt like I had not only shed my clothes but also a huge weight of shame that had been with me for decades. I smiled. After that experience I felt more open to the idea of nudism and naturism, and I went to the nudist resort cook off and there I met others from a nearby nudist club. I quickly realized that no one here was the owner of the ‘perfect body’ and yet, they all were. Everyone’s body is different, unique, and suited to that person. I had accepted myself as I am and all my imperfections that went with it, including losing the chili cook-off.

According to a recent study cited in Cosmopolitan, in the US, only about 28 percent of men and 26 percent of women are “very satisfied with their appearance.” Could you talk about what some of the causes might be, as well as the consequences?

I think much of the causes come from the media that bombard us with ways to improve our looks. How many ads in magazines and billboards and commercials do we see for Botox, plastic surgery, weight loss and the like, with each one promising you will look better and get you “beach bod ready”? They are basically saying, ‘you’re not good enough, you need our product/service’. Magazines typically only portray people with the ideal body. Who decided what the ideal body is?

A 2016 survey of young people in the UK had 36% of responders say they would do whatever it took to look good, including diet and 10% considered cosmetic surgery. These could lead to mental health issues and risky behaviors by people trying to fit in with what society calls the norm.

To some, the concept of learning to truly understand and “love yourself,” may seem like a cheesy or trite concept. But it is not. Can you share with our readers a few reasons why learning to love yourself it’s truly so important?

Mental health is the biggest benefit of learning to love yourself. After I accepted that I was not in the best of health, a change came over me. I no longer felt that I “had” to exercise to better my health, but now, I “wanted” to. I have lost nearly 80 pounds because I now accept my body for all its faults, scars and blemishes.

I have met new and amazing people on this journey of nudism and each person has accepted themselves. I have met ex-racing car drivers, doctors, meteorologists, nurses, lawyers.

It has also taken me to places I never would have thought of going before. I have hiked nude in the mountains of California, trekked dusty trails in the desert southwest, participated in World Naked Bike Rides to protest fossil fuels. I have even travelled to resorts where they host yearly 5K runs for not only nudists but anyone willing to run at a nudist resort whether they are clothed or not.

Every one of these people said at some point, “I may not be perfect, but I am who I am, and I love that person.”

Why do you think people stay in mediocre relationships? What advice would you give to our readers regarding this?

People may stay in a relationship because they think “I am not the best catch” but at least I got someone so we will just stick with it. It could also be a fear of being alone. As a single person, I am not sure I have the best advice, but I would say, don’t force having a relationship. It should feel natural and symbiotic. I have friends that have some difficult times in their relations ship, but they love each other, and that love is what holds them together through all things.

When I talk about self-love and understanding I don’t necessarily mean blindly loving and accepting ourselves the way we are. Many times self-understanding requires us to reflect and ask ourselves the tough questions, to realize perhaps where we need to make changes in ourselves to be better not only for ourselves but our relationships. What are some of those tough questions that will cut through the safe space of comfort we like to maintain, that our readers might want to ask themselves? Can you share an example of a time that you had to reflect and realize how you needed to make changes?

The questions I asked myself were: “How long do you want to live?” “How are you going to lose weight?”

When I heard the doctor tell me my weight was over 300lbs, for some reason my brain had always said, “as long as you stay under 300, you’re fine.” After surpassing that, something clicked, and I told myself how ridiculous that was. I started on a slow path of trying diets such as the Atkins diet. They did help as I dropped about 40 pounds, but it got to be monotonous for me. I did some exercise, like bike riding and hitting the gym a bit. I got a bone spur in my neck which made riding my bike difficult for long periods. Going to the gym got boring, even though I felt better when I was done. All the while I had burned into my mind that I never wanted to be that overweight again. My newest plan was to skip breakfast and be more active, so I started playing pickleball nearly a year ago. After a few weeks I started losing some weight and found out I really did not miss breakfast at all, plus I love playing pickleball! I get good exercise plus I have a lot of fun doing it.

So many don’t really know how to be alone, or are afraid of it. How important is it for us to have, and practice, that capacity to truly be with ourselves and be alone (literally or metaphorically)?

I have been single all of my life so being alone oftentimes went hand-in-hand. I have friends and family to be with but living alone gives you time to think about yourself. I can’t count the number of times I would lie in bed just immersed in my thoughts on things that were going on in my life, stuff I had to do later and what projects around the house I wanted to work on next. Other times I would just lie there and not really think of anything, taking a mental break as it were. I think some alone time is vital to one’s mental health. Whether that is sitting at home or going out for a drive in the country, it is an excellent way to just clear the mind.

How does achieving a certain level of self-understanding and self-love then affect your ability to connect with and deepen your relationships with others?

I think when you take time to learn about yourself and appreciate yourself for who you are, you can help others do the same thing. True it does not make you an expert, but you can offer your opinions to others you see going through the same thing. Nudism and Naturism do this with incredible effect. I have met a number of people that say, “I can’t, I don’t have the figure for it.” I can stand up and say to them, “I am no Adonis, but that did not stop me. Everyone is perfectly suited to try it.”

I think after I accepted myself with all my imperfections, I can better recognize when people see their own. Being open about my nudism has given me the confidence to engage with others who might be considering it for the first time, and I always enjoy their smile when I tell them that of all the people that joined our club, none have ever said I wish I had never tried nudism, they always say I wish I tried it sooner!

In your experience, what should a) individuals and b) society, do to help people better understand themselves and accept themselves?

People should not rely on commercials, or social media to show them what they should look like. They are who they are, and no person or entity should say it is wrong and should be hidden away or that it must be modified to fit the status quo.

Society is very judgmental of anyone or anything that does not fit into its view of normal or beautiful. People walking down the street look at each other and depending on how one is dressed compared to the other, they both form opinions: snooty, uptight, privileged, educated, rich, poor, whatever. That is the beauty of nudism. When the clothes come off, we all become the same. There are no clothes or expensive accessories to denote societal status or occupation so we are free to interact with the person more easily than we might if we met on the street.

Here is the main question of our discussion. What are 5 strategies that you implement to maintain your connection with and love for yourself, that our readers might learn from? Could you please give a story or example for each?

1. Get naked! That is probably the most difficult and yet the easiest. Once I took the step in 2010 to try nudism I have never looked back. I get home from work now and within minutes the clothes come off and with them go the stresses of the day. Pick a time when you can relax at home and just do it in the nude. Watching TV, cleaning the house, cooking a meal or whatever you are doing at home, just try it in the nude. At first it will feel different, because it is, but soon you will feel more relaxed, and it will become something you look forward to.
2. Read a book. I did not read many books growing up, and even fewer in college unfortunately. Around 2009 while working at a TV station, we ran a story on the top 25 banned books. I thought it would be fun to get those books and read them. I found 23 and started reading, a few months later I had finished, and I found myself craving more. I started reading books on history, science fiction, fantasy and much more. I read every night. I had no idea how much I would enjoy reading books and had I not started I would have missed out on so many amazing stories.
3. Do something different. I always knew that I did not want to just do one thing for the rest of my life, whether that was work or hobbies. I wanted different experiences to try. I may not be the best at any one of them, but I tried something new and gained knowledge and experiences in doing so. Just a few of the things I have done in my past are Medieval Battle Reenactment, Metal Detecting, Black and White Photography, Old West Style Pistol Shooting, Gardening, Beer and Wine Making and Woodworking. I enjoy trying new things and sometimes I keep at them, sometimes they go by the wayside. You never know what might pique your interest until you try it. Step out of your comfort zone!
4. Learn to cook. My mother was an amazing cook. She could whip up dinner for our family of five or plan a meal for a party of thirty. I would always be with her in the kitchen watching what she does. I also enjoyed the cooking shows available on PBS at the time, The Frugal Gourmet, Great Chefs of the West and I continue watching shows to this day with the likes of the Great British Bake Off, Good Eats and more. I have even combined my enjoyment of cooking with nudism by starting my own nude cooking show. During the pandemic when our club could not get together for events, I brought many of the recipes my mom made to the show. I have researched recipes from other countries and tried to reproduce them in the show, learning so much along the way.
5. Make new friends. I never went to school parties as a teenager, and in college I kept to myself, so I never made a lot of acquaintances. The friends I did make are very dear to me. However, when I became a nudist, I started making new friends from a wide variety of backgrounds. Since you could not see if the person was well dressed or not you did not know their status. Nor could you tell if they were in business, a lawyer, a tv weather person, a doctor or any other profession. You had to talk with them and learn about them and thereby making a friend that you already know you have something in common with.

What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources for self-psychology, intimacy, or relationships? What do you love about each one and how does it resonate with you?

I have read a great many books now and if I had to pick a few as my favorite, I would start with my most recent favorite, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It is a science fiction story that starts out with a man alone in deep space with no memory of who he is or how he got there. It has flash backs that happen every so often to fill in the gaps just as if it were your own memory coming back, plus it has an alien in it and the way the story unfolds as they learn to communicate is inventive, plus it has a very heartwarming ending. If I go back to the list of banned books I picked up, I will have to say my favorite was Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This book was amazing to me in how it told of the way of life in the 1850’s and the fact it was written by a woman who had the fortitude to write about the subject of the injustices of slavery.

Finally, a book I found while at a used bookstore (after I became a nudist) I found a copy of Therapy, Nudity and Joy by Aileen Goodson Ph.D. which describes the therapeutic use of nudity from ancient times up to when the book was written in 1991. It was fascinating to read about how embracing one’s own nudity was psychologically shown to improve body image and even help with sex therapy. I picked up the book partly because it talked about nudism and a resort that is no longer around, but the emotional breakthroughs described in the book often brought tears of sympathy. I would wholly recommend this book, if you can find it, to anyone who has dealt with body shame, whether it comes from oneself or from society.

I also love Douglas Adams, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael Crichton and Isaac Asimov. I love stories that have action, heart and comedy, especially if they can all be put in the same book.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? Maybe we’ll inspire our readers to start it…

I think nudism can be an energy saving movement because if you are nude at home, your AC does not have to work so hard, and you save money and use less energy. I get a kick out people’s reaction when I tell them I keep my house at 80° in the summer and just use a fan most of the time. Interestingly there was an uptick in home nudity, perhaps not full nudism, during the pandemic as people working from home started saying, “I don’t have to get dressed up for work.” Later that morphed into, “I don’t have to get dressed.” That also led to businesses not needing to keep their offices so cold if no one is there. If people would take some time each day to spend nude at home, even if it is just to relax after work, they would start to realize they feel better.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote” that you use to guide yourself by?
Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life and how our readers might learn to live by it in theirs?

“Be yourself, like yourself.”

To me this is a two-meaning quote. First it is simply two statements. Be yourself, and like yourself. But also, to me it means that if you ‘Be Yourself’, you will ‘Like Yourself’. I do not put on a facade for people. If they want to know me then they must accept who I am, a loving, overweight, happy nudist plus any faults I may have.

If you are your true self to others in everything you do, whether it is a job, a hobby, or a relationship then you can tell them, as Douglas Adams said in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, “We have normality, anything you still can’t cope with is therefore your own problem.”

Thank you so much for your time and for your inspiring insights!