Body Image

May Wellness Warrior is 15 year old Angel Bennett. Vulnerable and honest, she shares about body image, low self esteem, and body acceptance.++

Being 15 in high school dealing with anxiety and depression, trying to hold the weight of the world and having low self esteem and body image issues is a struggle.

Low Self Esteem

It’s hard admitting to yourself that you have insecurities but we’re human.  We all have flaws that are intertwined and make us who we are.  I guess it’s hard admitting things to yourself because then you have to accept it.  You then become aware of the things that you are admitting to yourself.

Body Image Issue 

I’m naturally skinny and the thing that I find hard to love about myself or just my body in general are my thighs.  I compare myself to other girls and when I look at the girls who don’t look like me who have more curves or thicker thighs, I just wish I had that.  I sometimes think to myself, “Gosh… they are so beautiful maybe if I look like them I would be beautiful too.”  So then I go home and over eat because that’s how much I wanted to gain weight.  I wanted to look like those girls.  I find myself being sometimes at war with myself when it comes to looking a certain way.  Sometimes I find myself morphing into this destructive person who will point out every flaw and every insecurity and I would just bring myself down over something I have no control over.

So how do I help myself?

I write poetry.  It’s more of an escape for me.  It helps me get things out (thoughts and emotions that are consuming me). It helps me see the world in a new way.

Another thing I do to help myself is reach out to people that I am close to or that I trust.  Having someone to remind me that my body does not define who I am as a person and that despite being skinny I’m beautiful just the way I am. Someone to remind me that I have many other characteristics about myself that I should admire and that my flaws and imperfections make me the person I am.  Someone to remind me to embrace those insecurities and to love them…each and very one. (By the way…The Alessia Cara song Scar to Your Beautiful is a great song to listen to when your feeling insecure).

I think it’s important to know your flaws and insecurities because those are the things that make you, you! Embrace the things your most insecure about, show yourself off despite how you look, despite the judgement you put on yourself and the judgement you put on yourself and the judgement others put on you.  Loving yourself is hard but it’s all about process and growth.

Go look in the mirror sometimes and tell yourself how beautiful you are.  Yes.  Recognize those flaws but know that those are going to make up who you are.  Those are the most unique parts who you are as a person.  Your beautiful inside and out, despite those flaws and imperfections.

Be your own kind of beautiful!                                              

And as for me… I’m learning to love the body I’m in.  I’m learning to be comfortable in it.  I am beautiful just the way I am (kind of weird saying it, but it’s true).  I think the more that I begin to love myself, the more I can put myself out there and become into this confident person that hopefully I’ll fully become 100%.

As Camila Cabello says, “There’s no freedom like the freedom that comes from accepting yourself.”

-Angel Bennett  15 years old

@sincerelyangel.lll