Self Esteem

I feel like this is a big subject out there in the world.

"1. Low self-esteem is a thinking disorder in which an individual views him/herself as inadequate, unlovable, and/or incompetent. Once formed, this negative view permeates every thought, producing faulty assumptions and ongoing self-defeating behavior.
2. Among high school students, 44% of girls and 15% of guys are attempting to lose weight.
3. Over 70% of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks. Brighten someone’s day by posting encouraging messages on your school’s bathroom mirrors. Sign up for Mirror Messages.
4. More than 40% of boys in middle school and high school regularly exercise with the goal of increasing muscle mass.
5. 75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities like cutting, bullying, smoking, drinking, or disordered eating. This compares to 25% of girls with high self-esteem."

All that info is from https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-teens-and-self-esteem its a website that wants to help stop "negative activities" which is a great idea but not exactly what I want to talk about.

I do suffer from low self-esteem but never to the point that I've attempted "negative activities" (I'm sorry if the quotations make it sound sarcastic, they totally are not these acts are very serious). Although I haven't done these things I don't have great self-esteem. But I do have great self-confidence. I am very confidant in what I can do but I am not always thinking highly of my looks and such.

But I've been thinking about this for quite sometime (because I've been meaning to write this blog post for days) and I realized that no one told me I wasn't pretty or that my hair wasn't right or that my thighs are a weird shape. But somehow my ideas of beauty had been skewed by media and other women and boys and everything. And I'm bring my own self down because of someone else's ideas.

The sad part is for a long time it didn't matter what anyone said I always saw myself below others. People could say that I looked nice, pretty or beautiful and I would shrug it off because I thought that they were just saying that to be nice.

And that is why **drum roll please** you have to build up your own self esteem. Even if every attractive guy tells you you're beautiful, you are probably going to be very self conscious. The only way to build up your self esteem is going to be yourself. And you're going to have to put some elbow grease into it and its going to be hard but you can do it. No matter what I'm rooting for you!

Tips to building your self esteem:

1. Realize your a child of God - I realize that not everyone is religious but it does help those who are. I have a friend who struggles with an eating disorder but she has been able to overcome it and she did this through her relationship with Jesus Christ. She learned through lots of help and lots of prayer that she is a child of God and that her body was given to her by her Heavenly Father who loves her very much and that she needs to take care of her body because it is a very special gift. You were created in His image and he loves you and doesn't want you to hate the body he gave you.
2. Start by giving yourself a good look in the mirror - Find things you love about yourself. I love my eyes and I have very nice hands. I like being short and small(even if I look 14 instead if 18). Focus on these things and try not to pick yourself apart.
3. Do Stuff - When you sit alone and just think it can be good but it can also be very bad. I know that my generation suffers from over thinking all the time but its good to go out there and have fun. Especially if you find a niche (a place where you feel like you belong) a sense of belonging will do wonders for yourself esteem. So go out there. :)
4. Bad Days - Sometimes you are going to have bad days where you feel down or you almost relapse into a "negative activity." All you have to is pick yourself up and keep going. And if it is really serious make sure you talk to someone and get help so you can have a better day tomorrow.
5. Boys, Boys, Boys - I get it we all like them (okay not all of us but you do you booboo, no judging here) and literally its happened to all of us. We like this guy but he doesn't like you he likes someone else such as a stranger, your best friend, or you sister. If he doesn't like you don't worry about it. Who wants to be in a relationship with someone who has to learn to like you? There are thousands of attractive men out there (trust me I see them everywhere) and someone is going to love you with all their heart and soul. So chin up! And for now go have some fun!
6. People Love You SOOOOO MUCH! - Have you ever loved someone so much and you wish they just knew how much? I feel this way about a lot of my friends. If they could just see what I see and how amazing they are and to know how much they are loved they would never have a bad. That being said we need to take a step back and think about the people who love us and how bad they want us to be happy.
7. Sing, Dance, Let go. - Have you ever tried to be sad when singing "Shake it off" or "Bang Bang"? That's right! When I sing it makes me feel so much better. So find something that you can do to release all the negative so you can move on. And just be happy.

I know how hard life can be but its harder when you are hard on yourself. Give yourself a break.
Till next time and who knows when that will be considering I'm way behind on my reading for three classes.. Whoops...

Later! XOXO

This picture was taken at mutual (Mormon

youth group). We had all the girls write about each other and each girl had her picture taken in front of all the nice things the others had said about her. And we didn't get to see them till after they were developed. But it was fun to see what others loved about you.