Insecurity

Regardless of age, nationality, gender, or body type, I am sure that many of us have, throughout at least one point in our lives, felt insecure, and possibly wished we had someone else's body, talent, or even their life. My experience with this negative body image came from my freshman year of college, when I really struggled with my own body image and was comparing myself with other people.  The transition from being very active in track in high school to going to college caused me to gain much more weight than I was expecting, and I didn't handle it how I should of.  I never resorted to anything crazy, but my thoughts about my body weren't always in a happy place. I was just shocked, confused, and frustrated by the fact that despite my daily trip to the gym and eating pretty healthy, that I continued to put on the pounds, which for one length of time, was about a pound a week. I would step on the scale multiple times a day, yearning for that socially constructed powerful number to shrink.

Eventually, I realized that obsessing about how I looked was not healthy, and from that point I have developed a very positive body image.  I got rid of the scale, met many new people who became some of my closest friends, and realized how much there was to be happy about in my life, and that it was silly to focus so much on what the number on the scale said. I realize that I will never be able to fit in a tiny pair of jeans or anything like that, but I am healthy and there is so much more than size and appearance. And this experience is why I am so passionate about helping others to develop more positive self-esteems and body images. We all bring such unique talents and positive characteristics to the table, and are often our own toughest critic. It is tough, but we need to change the way we view ourselves, and learn to look for the positive, so we can see ourselves as the beautiful people we are! Also, perhaps the fact that so many people, even models, (as you will see from the amazing TED talk I included below) feel insecure can help us realize that there is no "ideal" body type or body type that is immune from the occasional negative thought.  Our society definitely makes it challenging for us to feel good about ourselves sometimes, but I want to urge you to believe in yourself and love who you see! I hope you enjoy the video, and if you are interested in reading more about body image, you can click here to read some of my other posts on body image and access other great videos and resources! As always, feel free to leave comments! :)