Growing up, I wasn’t considered very pretty or very popular. I played the “tomboy sports”, wore glasses, had braces and struggled with my weight. I never got attention from boys and didn’t have my first kiss until I was almost 18. I was extremely insecure throughout my entire adolescence and even though I knew I’d find my way one day, it was still daunting to live in a body I despised for so many years.
I wish I could give a laundry list of tips, like the basic “self-care” activities, but honestly, those aren’t going to do much. What I can tell you is that I just woke up one day and realized that the Universe (Or God, or whatever higher power you believe in), has given me one body and one body only. I will never be someone else. I will never think like someone else. This is who I am and I can never change that. All I get is myself and this body. So why am I spending my time hating who I am?
That first step, simply accepting that you are the only person you’ll ever be, is key. You are human; you are going to make your fair share of mistakes and have regrets but that is so normal. In regards to accepting your body, there is always going to be things you’d like to change. There is always going to be someone prettier than you, skinnier than you, or more popular. Even though working out and eating right may alter your physical appearance, no product or process is going to change how far apart you think your eyes are or how your thighs touch when you walk. And even if there was, there will always be something else you’ll want to change once that thing is “fixed.”
I wish I had the end-all be-all answer for you on how to love yourself fully, but I don’t. It takes years, especially for women, to find it. It could even take an entire lifetime. And once you find it, it can still be taken from you in an instant and take even longer to get back again. Finding self-love and respecting the body you were given is one of life’s greatest roads but I know you’ll get there one day. It’s an uphill battle, but is worth it in the end if you can find happiness and make peace with yourself.