Spring break is approaching and many students are traveling somewhere warm. With that comes anxiety about how you look in a swimsuit and desperate measures to lose weight. I believe that these unhealthy habits are detrimental to a person’s mental and physical well-being.
Like many teenage girls, I have struggled significantly with my body image and eating habits. Throughout my journey, I have been trained to view my body in a different light. Instead of “I hate my legs,” I think, “wow, my legs are so strong and allow me to do so many things.” This mindset has helped me a lot when I start hyper-fixating on the way I look.
If you are so desperate to change your body before it will be revealed in a bathing suit, take a step back and rethink the situation. I promise, no one is looking at you; it is the hard truth we all have to face. You are your biggest enemy. No one else sees your imperfections. It is not worth starving yourself or overworking your body at the gym to feel more confident. It is one thing to go to the gym to clear your head and work on your health and another to have disordered thinking and anxiety when you cannot go.
Unfortunately, most insecurities stay no matter how much weight you lose and your body dysmorphia will still be very present. Despite this troubling realization, you are not alone. According to the National Organization for Women, by the age of 13, 53 percent of girls are unhappy with their bodies and by 17 it increases to 78 percent. Most girls will have their own underlying insecurities despite whether or not their body is “perfect.”
Do not run yourself dry with an intensive plan to change your body. Learn to accept it and feel most confident the way you were created.
