If you were to look at my Instagram page, you would see that I'm young, have an aesthetic profile, and seem to have a grasp on adulting. But what you don't see is stress crying, my anxiety attacks, and when I'm moody. You mostly see everyone's positive traits highlighted on social media and not so much their imperfections.
Although I have fought hard to be where I'm at now, and I still have a long way to go, I'm not perfect. I'm nowhere near perfect. And I never want to be. Perfection is overrated and boring. I admit I can get caught up in the comparison game when I'm scrolling through social media. I think, "Why don't I look like her?" "How are they having so much more success than me when I'm doing the same thing as them?" and the worst one, "I'm not good enough".
I'm sure there are a lot of you that can relate - and that breaks my heart. Because the individuals we compare ourselves to on social media most likely endure several hardships but choose not to post about them. They're not posting about it because none of us post about the hard stuff. I know I will not pull out my phone and live tweet my anxiety attack or take a selfie crying and post it. No one wants to see that, but we also crave being real.
The point of this post is to share three things you love and don't love about yourself. These traits can be physical or personality-based. It shows that even though social media is a highlight reel of all the good things we want to show off about ourselves, we all have flaws. And it's okay to embrace them. Not all flaws need to be fixed, but if we embrace them, if it's personality-based, we can work on them. If it's not personality-based, we can learn to love ourselves for who we are. But then again, I see nothing wrong with plastic surgery. If that's what makes you feel confident, go for it.
It's just time to finally celebrate you!
What I Don't Like About Myself
I'm a people pleaser I once heard that people-pleasing hides the real you. And it's true. I can't be who I am if I'm tailoring myself to get people to like me. I do this for people that I don't even really like. This is something that I'm trying to work on because it's taking a toll on me.
My skin My whole life is when kids put their tan arms next to my pale skin, and they laugh. I feel like I glow in the sun, and it bakes my skin to a fine red lobster. It's also made me self-conscious my whole life that I can see my veins so clearly through my skin and that it does this weird thing where it leaves splotches. My skin also tells on me when I'm upset because my chest will turn red.
I'm a perfectionist I said perfection is overrated and boring, but this is who I am. I will lose my mind trying to get an assignment, work task, blog post, or daily activity to be immaculate. And when I can't, I beat myself up over it, draining my energy.
What I Love About Myself
I'm an empath It's taken a long time, but I'm in tune with my emotions, and I can feel how others in the room are feeling, generally. If others are in a good mood, their energy puts me in a good mood. Similarly, if others are feeling sad, I feel those emotions.
My eyes My mom has always told me my eyes are exactly like my great-grandmother's. I never had the chance to meet her, but from the stories my mom tells me, she was a sweet, giving, and kind-hearted woman. I'm proud to have inherited her eyes.
I'm quiet I struggled with accepting this about myself over the summer. It seems silly to be insecure about being quiet, but when you've been made to feel guilty about it growing up, and even in adulthood, it can take a mental toll. I've been told that I think I'm better than others or that I'm stuck up because I don't talk. Those things hurt that anyone thinks that's who I am, which circles back to being a people pleaser. It wasn't until I woke up one day that I realized it was the best thing about me. Because I'm quiet, I listen more. I pay attention more. I remember the little things more. I'm not dominating a conversation and making it all about me. Honestly, I don't have that much to say sometimes.
Now it's your turn
This is a useful exercise for self-discovery and getting honest with yourself. Celebrate the things you love about yourself. But don't forget to acknowledge, confront, and embrace your flaws because they make up part of who you are, too.
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