As women in today’s society, we are in a constant battle with ourselves when it comes to loving ourselves and being comfortable in our own skin. Don’t let that girl you think is “perfect” fool you, because everyone struggles with self love at some point. As self conscious girls, we often seek approval from others just to make ourselves feel good because we tend to have more trouble believing it if we say it to ourselves. In a way, it gives us a sense of approval from our peers, family members and significant others. We all want to be liked, admired and noticed for the good things about us. But when we are too busy trying to satisfy other people for their approval or opinion, we forget what truly makes us happy. We are constantly putting ourselves down when it comes to our appearance, relationships, academics, and whatever other insecurities we may have.
We need to stop.
Realization
We need to realize that in order to be happy, we need to start seeking approval from ourselves and not from others. We need to stop caring what people think, which is much easier said than done, but you can do it! The more we care about what other people may think of us, the less happy we will be. We don’t deserve that. We all have endless amazing qualities. It just takes a little effort to notice the good in ourselves instead of the bad. Once we learn to do this, we are so much more comfortable in our own skin. If girls learn to love themselves the way they are, it will give them the confidence they need to take on the world. Personally, I have had trouble with being comfortable in my own skin. We all have flaws that we want to get rid of and I know I have flaws that I am sometimes insecure about. But, I realize that I’m only human and my flaws are what make me unique. Being different isn’t a bad thing. Not looking anything like Selena Gomez doesn’t mean I am not beautiful in my own way. I should love the way I look and love myself for the amazing qualities that I know I have. I found that I was always bringing myself down when I did not receive the approval I was looking for from others and I knew that had to change.
I came across a cute Facebook video of a little girl that helped me change the way I think. Watch the video here:
Before I would look in the mirror and only see the bad qualities about myself. Now, I frequently go to the mirror before going to school and chant, “I am amazing, beautiful, and I’m going to have a good day because nobody can drag me down!” Trust me, it really helps and makes you feel good about yourself. It helps you start your day with a smile and confidence.
Ways To Be Comfortable In Our Skin
I talked to some girls around Temple University and asked them about the things they do to help them be comfortable and confident in their own skin and here is what they had to say!
First, I talked to Christine Quach, who is a Freshman journalism major. She said, “I go a few days without makeup to appreciate how I look without all that stuff on. I try to eat healthy and feel better, and I dress in clothes that make me feel good.”
Jenna Song, another Freshman journalism major said, “You need to be able to accept who you are and be okay with your skin and body, but wanting to change it is not necessarily a bad thing unless you’re hating yourself to the point you’re harming yourself. Working towards accepting yourself and trying to have positive attitude towards it helps. Definitely.”
“In order to be comfortable in my own body, I tend to wear clothes that makes me feel comfortable,” said Sally Sagnia, a freshman biology major. “I rarely show my skin, so I guess I will say that I don’t have an issue with being comfortable in my skin.”
The last person I talked to was Amna Butt who is sophomore liberal arts major. She said, “I like treating myself, shopping usually helps, also I like to talk to a friend and hearing about their fears helps me cope with my own and vice versa.”
These are just some ways young women like to make themselves feel a little better. Some other ways might include meeting up with friends, going out, doing something adventurous, mediating the negativity away, eating your favorite food or exercising. We need to start adoring ourselves and living life passionately.
Women are often afraid to go out of their comfort zone because of all the negativity they are used to. Well, that is going to change from today. From now on, we will start respecting ourselves, be proud of who we are, love ourselves, and understand who we want to be as a person. The minute we learn how to love ourselves, the happier we will be. But, best of all, you will love yourself more than you ever have before.