I have such a weird relationship with my body and my self confidence. It’s become the “norm” for people to slag their own appearance and disagree with compliments about themselves but I think it’s time we put all that energy into loving our bodies. 

When I went away for the summer I was so so scared to get into a bikini and show off my arms that have some scarring on them and let my stomach lay naturally in front of people. It’s easy to hide yourself in winter and forget that in Summer you’re gonna have to wear shorter sleeves and shorts and expose yourself a bit more that you may show off parts of yourself you’re self conscious about. Winter can be tough for me mentally, so when it comes to looking after myself physically that can suffer a lot.

It’s easy to say “no one cares what you look like” but it’s a lot harder to digest that and truly believe it. Our generation has grown up with supermodels on our Instagram feeds and photoshopped influencers trying to sell us clothes and we’re have to try our best not to feel bad about ourselves? It’s like all the odds are against us, but I believe that once you are happy on the inside it is so much easier to block all of that negativity out. 

I go through battles with my body like this a good few times a year and I always end up convincing myself that as long as I’m happy in myself it doesn’t matter how big or small I am. Happiness comes from within not from how you look! When I was my thinnest or most “aesthetically pleasing” I was my unhappiest. It wouldn’t have mattered if I had looked like a Kardashian I still would’ve been sad. My main priority right now is looking after my mind and in my opinion as long as my mind is healthy, I will be too. 

I recently saw a new app made by weight watchers especially directed at kids and teens from 8-17 that allows them to track the food they eat. I felt sick when I saw this and I thought what I would’ve been like if I’d had this app when I was younger. Imagine your younger sister or brother tracking what they eat or thinking they need to eat less to look better? This sort of behaviour will trigger so many problems for them later in life and we need to stop it. We need to fight this toxic mentally that can be so easily put on our most vulnerable, our young minds! 

So here I am, with scars on my arms, stretch marks on my thighs and my tummy rolled over as I’m sitting, but I’m happy and that’s all that matters to me. Love your body, it’s the only one you’ve got💓