Self Esteem & Body Issues

          

          Many people think that only girls have problems with their bodies, that only girls are insecure, and only girls can struggle with self esteem and body issues.
WRONG.
That's so wrong it even deserved to be in capitals.
          It doesn't matter who you are, you can experience low self esteem and not be happy with your body and how you look. You can be young, old, a girl, a guy, something in between, and it doesn't matter what you identify as or with - YOU can experience these issues.
Society now puts so much pressure on us, how we're supposed to look, act, do, even what we're supposed to feel. And that is just wrong.
          Being at university or college definitely doesn't make it easier on us students, I'll be honest. If you were the most attractive person in high school, now you're faced with a ton of people who were in the same situation. Now, you're just another person. If you weren't at the top or even in the middle, now you have so many other people to compete with... And to compare yourself with.
          That's one of our biggest problems, we're always comparing ourselves to other people. We think that this is how we can judge our self, based on others. But the truth is, we can't. Every single person is unique in their own way and to base your self worth in comparison to someone else just isn't logical. But yet we do it anyways. Again and again and again.
          Going off to school has made these issues so much worse for people. I won't lie, me included. So many horrible things stem from these types of issues, and yet so many people still suffer from them. It's so easy to go unnoticed, to blend into the background, and to be suffering silently. It's easy to throw a smile on your face, and pretend that there's nothing wrong. It's easy to cry when no one is looking, and to have such horrible thoughts going through your mind. It's easy to have a negative outlook, especially when it comes to yourself. It's easy to be so shy because you're afraid of being judged. It's easy to be so self conscious that you never see how truly amazing and beautiful and great you are. It's easy to do all of these things, but it's really easy for this to happen when you're away at school. Gaining a few pounds in high school sucked, but at university or college, oops, now you're on your way to the freshman 15. Everyone around you could be so different, yet so the same. You like something that no one on your floor does? You're now the new 'freak'. Being away from home you're now completely in charge of yourself, and it's easy to get caught up in so many other things. But you know what? It's so easy to remember your flaws than to think of the things that are great about you. You're going to remember everything that isn't right about you, and forget what makes you unique. Being different isn't a curse - it's a gift, and we all have it. 

One of my favourite authors, Jodi Picoult, said it best:

“When you're different, sometimes you don't see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you notice is the person who doesn't.” 

          Being different isn't a bad thing, personally I think being different is a good thing. As a society, and as a world we really need to work on the idea of accepting. Accepting people for who they are, and accepting them without trying to change them. Every day, we're bombarded with things that we should do so that we can be 'better' but really, who has the right to dictate this? No one.

          Anyway, getting back to my original point - self esteem and body issues are things that can stem from a young age, and if they're not taken care of in the right way there can be major repercussions in the later years. By the age of 6 girls are already starting to be concerned about their weight. Age. Six. Girls aren't the only ones to suffer from distorted views of their bodies - 10 million men suffer from eating disorders at least once in their life - and 20 million women do. (Statistics for the US) The Canadian statistics for 2002 say that 1.5% of girls ages 15-24 have had an eating disorder, and those are from 10 years ago. These statistics have been on the rise ever since, and will continue to do so until some serious has been done. 

          Eating disorders aren't the only things that are affecting students though, just having low self esteem and self confidence is detrimental enough. Self harm is another huge issue that can go along with this as well. Horrible isn't the word to describe it, but that's the best I can come up with. It is just so horrible to think that someone can be so upset about their appearance and so upset with them self that they make the decision to harm them self. No one deserves to feel like this, yet so many people do. 

          While I'm not saying that everyone who deals with these issues are going to end up having an eating disorder or self harming, I'm saying that it can happen, it does happen, and it happens more than you would think.
          Next time you see someone that looks like their having a bad day, compliment them. Appreciate people, and take them as they are. Appreciate yourself. Love yourself. Yes, I know that's easy to say, but hard to actually do, all I'm asking is for you to try. 

          You are so amazing, and I really hope that you realize this at some point. Why? Because you deserve to be happy, and be happy with yourself and who you are! Getting confidence is hard, but it's not impossible. Work at it. You're going to have bad days, but those are just the pathway to the happy ones. Forget what everyone says about how you're supposed to look - screw what they say. If you want to dress a certain way, do it. If you don't want to lose weight, then don't - own those pounds!

         I know this wasn't like my usual posts, but it needed to be talked about. I hope all of you reading this has a great day, and know that I believe in you. Show the world how awesome you are.