Body Image

Hi guys

I wanted to write a post about body image and I'm going to be completely real and honest here, not for sympathy or pity or anything other than to hopefully be relatable (is that a word? .....) and to get my point across.

I'll start with a little story of my own.

I've always had self image issues. And by always I really do mean from I was about 6 or 7. Before you jump to conclusions, I had loving parents and this was in no way because of them, to be honest I really don't remember what started it at such a young age. I've always seen myself as "the fat one" out of my friends, especially since secondary school as my two closest friends are both naturally very thin.
Recently I have been trying to find a dress for my upcoming school formal and I've found it difficult. It feels like every dress I see is made for someone tall and thin with slight curves - a supermodel, basically. And that has been getting me down.
I'm not overly heavy, I wear a size 14 (UK) and I'm about 5ft 5. However, I'm curvy - which I do appreciate and I have grown to love - but, like the majority (I think...) of people, I have "problem areas". I don't like my stomach, in fact I despise it, and I would like my arms to be toned. But I'm eating more healthily and I'm exercising and I know that I will improve what I don't like in a safe and healthy way.

There are too many girls and guys (yes plenty of guys have self image issues too!) out there who are not happy with themselves and are upset with their bodies and are taking drastic measures to "fix" them. If it is not broken, don't fix it. By all means, if you are not happy and want to improve something for you then do it! But please don't take drastic measures, and don't do it for anyone else - least of all the media.

It really does make me sad to see beautiful people (and I'm not talking your typical media perception of beauty, I believe everyone is beautiful in their own way) hating themselves and taking that sadness/anger/frustration out in self destructive or harmful ways; whether that be eating disorders, self harm, self psychological abuse, or anything else. Don't do it!

Be happy that you have your life, no matter how bad you may think that your life is. Seek help if you need it. If you aren't happy then please do something about it! There are too many people who are so terribly unhappy with their lives. If you're overweight be grateful because you have enough to eat. Be grateful if you have a functioning body that will bring you through your day no matter how hard that day may be.

I'm sorry for this being such a sad and serious topic today but I've been feeling bad about myself recently and I know that there are so many people who feel that way and an awful lot worse on a daily basis for a very long time and that really does upset me.
I wish there was more I could do to help, but I'm afraid the best I can do right now is words. I wish I could hug each and every one of you and tell you that everything will be alright and help to make it alright for you. I wish I could show you how beautiful you are, even though I don't know you.

Please make me a promise, try to love something about yourself, try to focus on your positives, if you want to then improve what makes you unhappy but for your own sake do it healthily and safely. Please promise me that you will try to be happy. Talk to someone about why you are unhappy; it helps, I promise. Talk to a family member, a friend, a teacher, a therapist, a professional person who you'll probably never see again, someone in a different city or country, anyone you want to talk to - just talk to someone, anyone.

No one will ever be perfect in everyone's eyes but isn't it our imperfections that make us unique and special and individual and beautiful? Maybe it's just me that thinks that, I don't know. But I do know that to someone, each and every one of you is completely and utterly beautiful and perfect. You may not have met them yet or you may not know how they feel. But I promise you, someone out there thinks you are perfect as you are.

I hope that I have helped someone out there in some way to feel a little bit better about themselves.
I have also just created another blog for this sort of thing where I hope to be able to help more and hopefully spread a little love and joy. If you would like to pop over it's Hugs of Hope

Why don't we all start to appreciate ourselves a little bit more and share something (or a couple of things - even better!) that we love about ourselves in the comments section below.
I'll start, I like the colour of my eyes - I like that they're blue like my mum's but have a green centre like my dad's, and I like that they change colour slightly depending on my mood and the light. I like that I have curves. I like my height - I'm tall enough to not feel tiny compared to others but short enough to be able to wear high heels and not be taller than most people I meet.
Now it's your turn, leave your answers in the comments below.

As always, please do leave any feedback or constructive criticism for me in the comments as well. Thank you!

Namaste

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