Beauty From Within

Hey guys!! I haven't been on here in forever!!! I'm so sorry about that. I've been slammed because of the end of the school year, and for some reason I've been super out of it and haven't been in the right place to write anything. I'm feeling better and so glad I'm out of that weird place, and I'm hoping that summer will bring more time to write tons of posts! Today we're going to be talking about the beauty within, but not in the "if your soul is beautiful, your outsides will be too" approach. Although that's true, I want to focus more on the self confidence side of it.

I have so many beautiful friends, and I'll always see them saying things like "ew I look bad in that picture" or "ugh I look fat in this bathing suit." I'll look at them and just think whatttt???? It made me realize that how we look at ourselves determines how we see our beauty, not what other people tell you. I do it all the time as well. If someone calls you beautiful, it doesn't matter if you can't see it for yourself. That sounds so bad when I type it, and trust me, complimenting people will always boost someone's day. But sometimes, no matter how often we are reminded of our beauty, we just can't seem to see it.

I struggle with this a lot. Sometimes my boyfriend will tell me I look beautiful when I don't think it's possible for me to look any worse. And even though I appreciate and love him so much, sometimes I just can't seem to see what he does. The same thing goes for my weight. I've never been the kind of person to worry about numbers on the scale, but I care a lot about how my body looks in the mirror. I know I'm not fat, and that I'm at a healthy weight, but sometimes I can't see past that. I'm also trying to eat healthier, and it's been hard for me, because any time I mess up, I beat myself up about it. I'm working on loving my body while trying to maintain a healthy relationship with food, and it's been hard for me. No matter what I eat or how much makeup I put on, sometimes I just can't see that I'm beautiful.

So I just kind of threw out all my insecurities at once, and I hope it didn't overwhelm you. The point I'm trying to make is that it doesn't matter how other people see you if you can't see the same thing in yourself. Hence the statement that beauty comes from within yourself, and not from outside compliments.

So how do we find that beauty within ourselves? Man, that's really hard. Sometimes you'll look in the mirror and you'll really be feeling' yourself, and the next day you might want break the mirror because you just can't love what you see in the reflection. And that sucks. We've all been there, and if it hasn't happened already, it probably will. I'm not trying to scare you, I just want you to be prepared with ways to love yourself when you need them. 

You just gotta decide to love yourself. Decide right now that you're beautiful. Make it a choice, not an opinion. Look in the mirror and tell yourself that you're beautiful. Find the favorite parts of yourself. If your stomach is making you feel insecure, look at your eyes in the mirror instead. Some days will be easier than others, but give yourself love everyday because you deserve it. Remember that this is the body you'll be spending the rest of your life in. You've only got one, so treat it right and love it. Accept the things you can't change and change the things you can't accept. I would never tell anyone that they should change their body or the way they look, because I think everyone is perfect just the way they are, but if you think going to the gym more often is going to help you feel happier and more loving, then I say go for it. Do what you need to do to help you love yourself. Make sure what you're doing is safe, and do it to be happy, not to impress anyone. Do it for yourself. 

Self-love is a journey. It's always changing. Sometimes you'll be on top of the world, and other days you'll be down in the dumps, but choose to love yourself no matter what place you're in. If you're religious, or if the whole God thing is something that works for you, remember these verses:
"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." -Genesis 1:27
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." -Psalm 139:14
" For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." -Ephesians 2:10
"You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you." -Song of Songs 4:7

Those are a few verses that remind us that we are created in God's image, and that we are beautiful and wonderful. I'll keep the religious part of this short because I know not everyone who needs help with self-love will find comfort in it because their beliefs may be different than mine, but if anyone wants a post about beauty in a religious light, let me know and I would absolutely love to write it. 

To wrap things up, self-love is tricky, especially if you're a teenager, so just find comfort in what you find beautiful about yourself instead of what anyone else is saying, be it positive or negative. Self-love is called that because it has to do with your own individual self. It can be difficult, but I know you got it. If anyone has any specific things that they're struggling with, please, please, please reach out to me!! Today's post was pretty vague, and if you need more kind words or advice, I'm always here. The best way to reach me if we don't know each other personally is through my Instagram DM's, which is @finding.something.beautiful (I'll link it right below this post. Thank you guys so much for reading!!! Have a great day, and hey, ENJOY SUMMER!!!!!! I love you all :)

​Thank you so much for reading! See ya later! <3

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