Hey, I’ve been there too. This is hard to admit but I practically hid inside most of last summer because I didn’t like how my legs looked in shorts. I felt horrible in my bathing suit and wanted to cover up or stay inside when the sun was shining. While the short summer here in Montana was flying by, I was hiding from it because I was drowning in insecurity. I have three things to tell you if you’re feeling like this:
1. Wear the bathing suit. Wear the shorts. Get outside, soak up the sun, and make the most out of each day because you never know how many more you have left. I don’t want you to look back and regret that you didn’t enjoy your summer and hid yourself away instead. That’s not what life is about and you need to live it.
2. Only you can truly get down to the bottom of your insecurity to change it. For me, I had changes I needed to make and bad eating habits that had spun out of control that I needed to address and get to the bottom of that were not healthy. So I am not content with just telling you to love yourself and move on because I believe truly loving yourself means treating yourself well, which includes eating and moving in a way that is good for your body. That being said, you are on your own personal journey so don’t worry about what someone else is doing because their situation may be completely opposite to yours. I urge you to face your personal battle head-on and figure out what you need to do to be your healthiest and happiest and work on that, whether it means getting help from someone, talking to someone, or just taking one step toward becoming your best & healthiest self. There is a real connection between self-love and self-respect, especially when it comes to food and exercise.
3. We can be our own worst critic OR our own best friend. The things you pick apart most about yourself, people probably don’t notice at all. Would you pick your friend apart? Would you call out and stare at her insecurities? No! You would hopefully call her beautiful and enjoy her presence, you’re not focused on her appearance! So be your own best friend too, girl. 🙂
This was on my heart because I’ve been there. I’m not afraid to talk about these things anymore because they’re important. You’re important. How you talk to yourself and feel about yourself is important because it either leads you to your fullest life or your worst nightmare. I want you to walk in freedom and confidence, knowing you were created by God for a purpose so much bigger than appearance but that you can and should feel good in your own skin. You are a unique creation and you deserve to rock those shorts and enjoy your summer to the absolute fullest. ☀️💛
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV
