Insert Love and Kindness into Your Life
By: Julia Battistoni
“OMG, why did I say that? I looked ridiculous!” , “I could never pull off that outfit! She is gorgeous. Gosh, I wish I could be like that.”, “Why is everyone glaring at me today? What did I do?”
I know every teenager has asked themselves similar questions at some time in their life, or still continue to. This is part of the normal teenage insecurity, but we do not have to be stuck in this loop forever. Take it from me, I am a month into college, and I still comparing myself to everyone who I walk by. I overthink everything, and I am starting to get behind in my assignments even though I have been working on them for hours. I realized this is not good for my mind, body, and soul, so it is time for change.
Even though comparing myself has not disappeared, I am slowly on the way to loving and accepting myself. There is a simple trick I learned this year which has helped me significantly. All you have to do is insert love and kindness into your life. Sounds easy, right? We are surrounded by kindness and love everyday. What’s the point? My point is we have to use this trick on ourselves. We all get wrapped up into our daily lives like our ongoing battle with tangled headphones. We know we can untangle it, but the process is a challenge, not to mention time consuming. We can prevent this problem for yourself and your friends in the future. If someone looks at you with a glare, and you know it bothers you, take the opportunity to smile. If you are comparing your looks or grades, remind yourself that you are beautiful, and you are smart. This may not work at first, but it will slowly take effect once you keep the practice up.
On the other hand, if you hear someone does not like you, or you are not getting any progress with friends, or boys even, take the few extra seconds to give yourself love and kindness. Know that you are a human being and think back to a time where you felt genuinely happy, loved, or at peace. You can also think of things that give you a good laugh. Laughing is the best medicine and will continue to be. Your favorite song or favorite place to be can keep you at peace as well. All in all, just know there are techniques to lift your spirits up, and once you have achieved this skill, you can pass this onto others.