How to like yourself: Three tips for the insecure and self-hating

A few days ago, I realized something incredibly important: I am content with myself. I like who I am as a person, and I am fairly happy with my body. This may not seem so important to some, but it is a far cry from where I was a few years ago.

I won’t go too far into it - it’s a story you’ve all heard, seen, and probably lived, but suffice it to say that between the ages of 8 and 16, I pretty much loathed myself. I got called fat a couple of times by classmates (most of the hate was self-perpetuated) and often, in my younger years, wished I had never been born. I’ve never been athletic. I have wide hips, big, muscly legs, tiny boobs and ample padding all around - things I’ve hated about myself before. On top of that, I’ve always struggled with feeling untalented, unintelligent and just not enough.

Everybody has dealt with these sorts of things. When you complain, your friends and family tell you that you are wrong. “You’re beautiful! You’re just fine the way you are. You don’t need to change. You just need to learn to love yourself.”

It’s downright aggravating. They don’t know how you feel. How do you just START loving yourself? Turns out, you DO need to change. But not your body or personality.

I can think of three variables that I changed in my life in the last three years that affected my new attitude. Before I begin, let me say this: I am no expert, and I do not claim to be. These are just some things that helped me change my attitude that might work for others. 

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No, “real” women don’t necessarily have curves. They have whatever bodies they have. If a body is healthy, taken care of and treated with respect - it belongs to a real woman.