Things I wish I knew at 15... [Part 2]
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 12:36PM 
Be Confident and HAPPY!Welcome to January and welcome to 2012! Now, it's time to go back in time a decade once again for part deux.
So, I've traveled back to the 9th grade locker room, and I'm listening to myself and my friends talking. What does it sound like?
"UGH! I hate these P.E. shorts, they make my legs look so fat!" "Your legs look fat? Have you seen mine?" "At least you have tan legs, mine are gonna blind you." "Who cares about y'alls legs? After P.E. my face is so red and you can see all my bumps... it's sick." And it goes on and on and on...
It was one put-down after another. Although no one was insulting another and this banter was meant to further the female camaraderie, it also just allowed everyone's insecurities to be justified. By putting yourself down, it showed your friend that you too had insecurities and flaws and "we're all in this together." I remember hearing from mentors, “Look in the mirror and name all the things you like about yourself.” What a stupid thing! All that I saw was bushy eyebrows, acne, frizzy hair and awkward makeup to cover those flaws. I remember saying that I liked my green eyes, and that was all I could find.
So what are you supposed to do when you feel like that?
- Remind yourself of “Bigger Picture” gifts and keep a thankful heart. As hard as it may be to not freak out about the issues bothering you on a daily basis, try to create a daily reminder to be thankful for God’s bigger blessings. Thank you, God, that I can run and sing! Thank you for glasses to correct my weak eyesight! Thank you for my comfortable bed! And so on…
- Simply treat or change the small annoyances. Change shampoos, try a new acne treatment, wax your eyebrows, get a new haircut, exercise, eat healthy! Don't sit around hating yourself or feeling insecure about something so petty... If you can, fix it and move on!
- Compliment and encourage others. Sometimes we are too stuck in our “introspective bubble” (as Amanda calls it) and need other people to bring us out of it. Start a positive spark to replace the complaining between your friends. If you hear your friend complaining about her weight, try saying, “We should create a work out group. I don’t like to see you stressing out about that, and we all need to work out more!”
- Look to the future. Let’s be honest… One of the biggest reasons these insecurities pop up is because of part one of this series, boy attention. But one way to stop this downward mental spiral is to realize that God made us all for a specific reason. Every person has a different definition of beauty, so don’t you think that God made you to fit what your husband will like one day in the future? My boyfriend loves my fair skin and dark auburn hair! I wish I could’ve told that to the 15-year old who was going to the tanning bed and bleaching her hair. (yuck!)
- Just don't think about it! Do not conform to the world telling you to be self-absorbed. Renew your mind and think about other things! Romans 12:1-2: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
The 10-years-later benefit? You’ve enjoyed your youth more fully and arrive to adulthood as a confident individual. Trust me, this low self-esteem baggage doesn’t leave when you start college… you will carry it through your whole life if you don’t leave it at the door right now.
Reader Comments (1)
So many girls need to know this! This could really help them:)