It’s approaching. You can almost see it in the distance. It’s almost breathing down your neck. It’s not a villain in a horror movie, it’s spring break. Every year around this time, it feels like everyone is frantically trying to get in shape. There’s cruises to go on, beaches to visit and swim suits to be worn. Sometimes it seems as if people are more concerned about “looking good” for spring break than they are about the actual break. Why is that?
Don’t get me wrong – I care about my appearance as much as the next person. But to be completely honest, I haven’t thought twice about my bikini bod since the last time I wore a bikini (and maybe it’s because I don’t really swim, but guys — that was a long, long time ago).
Body insecurities are common. Take me, for instance. I always act like the sun shines out of my you-know-what, but in reality, I really hate wearing shorts. There’s not really any logical explanation behind it, seeing as I get more compliments on my legs than anything else. But it’s also something that I’ve been working on. Over the years, I’ve found that allowing my dislike for my legs to keep me from wearing shorts in 90-degree weather is honestly a disservice to myself. I had been choosing to roast in the heat all day instead of letting myself wear a pair of denim shorts at the park. Consider that your body has every right to be comfortable and that you have every right to wear whatever you wish, just as much as everyone else does.
So often our insecurities about our own bodies stem from the thought that there are people out there who look “better.” It’s a little bizarre when you really think about it, though. Someone else may look absolutely lovely in yellow. But if yellow is your favorite color, you shouldn’t let this deter you from wearing a yellow t-shirt and loving the way it looks on you separate from how someone else may look in comparison.
Logging onto social media during spring break always means that you’ll get bombarded with aesthetically pleasing photos of your friends out and about with drinks and souvenirs and pretty backgrounds. And it always seems to make some of us feel as though our own experiences were dull and overall “lesser.” I still try to take a cute picture where I can, but a year or two ago, I was 100% guilty of being that girl who lived by the motto, “pics or it didn’t happen.” Seriously, I took so many selfies. Wherever I went. No matter what.
A lot has changed since then, including the volume of pictures on my Instagram. Over the years I’ve come to realize that experiences are meant to be savored, and this might mean that you won’t always get the pretty picture you planned on getting. Sure, I could totally take a picture at the beach and get a ton of likes and comments, and sure, it’ll feel awesome. But that picture won’t show the little moments that made me smile that day, or the fact that seeing my friends again and being around my family makes me happy in ways that a picture may not be able to capture.
I hope your spring break is everything you hope it will be, and I also hope that every selfie you take turns out to be a winner. But I also hope you will remember that making the memories means just as much as documenting them.