49/ Insecure? Here's the Cure!

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Did I just rhyme cure with cure? Yes I did. Fight me.

As humans, not just teenagers, we all deal with our own insecurities. These insecurities can fade, go away all together, or ruin our self confidence completely. For most people, the last option is the most common.

When I was 12 I had more insecurities than I could count on my hands. I hated my hair, my eyebrows, my acne, my lips, my boobs, my stomach, my legs, my feet, my awkwardness, and so much more.

The thing that magnifies insecurities to us is perspective. To someone else, that pimple on your forehead looks just like a red dot. To you it's a massive swarming volcano of puss and blood. The minute I realised that people weren't actively looking out for my flaws was the minute I began to learn to love myself.

I learnt to love myself by learning to see myself from different perspectives. So what if I had stretch marks all over my legs and bum, it meant I was growing. So what if my eyebrows were thicker than slugs, some people spend hours drawing them on like this everyday.

It was this philosophy which made me begin to see the beauty in myself, and gave me the confidence to follow my own happiness and find my own individuality.

There are some insecurities I fixed because they were never going to be permanent. My hair grew, I cleared my acne (kind of), and I began to exercise more frequently so I would tone up. Whenever people ask how they can feel feel more confident in themselves, I always say exercise more. It makes you feel good about yourself not only because of the endorphins it releases but also because knowing you're healthy is such an amazingly mind-boosting thing to have.

People will try to knock you down, and it's vital to keep reminding yourself of how beautiful you are. There is a horrible trend in society of shunning people who are confident in their body, and I say just make it white noise. Let it bounce off you.

So rule forty nine of surviving Teenagehood: the longest relationship you will have in life is with your body, so learn to love it as soon as you can.

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