I’ve definitely noticed that I tend to be more upset when I fail at something I’m supposed to be good at. If my 4-year-old asks me to draw something for her and I do a terrible job, it’s not such a big deal—I never claimed to be an artist! If I can’t see something from a distance, that’s almost a point of pride—my eyesight is terrible! But if I make a mistake while doing a calculation, or if I misspell a word in an important e-mail, those are things that stick with me. I’m supposed to be good at that sort of thing!
I feel that way about weight, too. I got so many compliments for being thin when I was younger, so clearly being thin is something I can and should be successful at. Now I’m not, and it feels far more shameful to be too heavy* after having been thin than it would be if I had always been this size. If I can’t change the fact that I used to be thin, maybe I should try to change the fact that I’m not now.
*according to me; nobody else seems to be quite willing to admit it