Anna Watson

I was in the weight room working out with my team when my coach videoed me trying to show me how to improve my form, but the main thing I noticed was that my tummy was poking out so badly. If I noticed it, other people must have been thinking it too. Insecurities are sneaky like that – they burrow in your mind until someone says something, or you see yourself from a different point of view.  

Despite being overweight, there are days I feel so confident and days where I just feel so fat. I can change my thinking about dragging myself to the gym and being more excited about eating healthy and nourishing my body – but there are somethings that I can’t change. I’ve been a diabetic for over 10 years now and I don’t think I have ever fully accepted it mentally. Deep down I keep hoping that it’s just a phase – but it’s not a phase and I have the scar tissue to prove it. It’s scary because it’s not a lie about misconceptions about my body, like calling myself fat. The scars, bumps and scar tissue left behind by the many infusion sets, sensors and pumps won’t go away no matter how many crunches I do. They are real and they are ugly.  

 Insecurities are sneaky little bastards that are rooted mostly in females. A study showed that nearly 91 percent of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape. With social media being a dominant influence in American society, the pressure to look like a model is a major cause of insecurities in younger, college-aged women (and men). In fact, 58 percent of college-aged girls feel pressured to be a certain weight. While women carry most of the burden, they might be better off – at least they have makeup. Men have to face the world with what God gave them.  

It’s hard not to compare yourself to other people with rounder booties, skinnier abs without a pudge and non-jiggly arms – they have everything that you want and work for but can’t seem to get a hold of. Any insecurity stems from a confidence issue that makes people lose their worth and forces them to feel inadequate. People need to show love and not tear each other down. Consider the effects of bullying – besides depression, suicidal thoughts and anxiety – bullied kids have a 33 percent chance of becoming bullies.  

A woman is most beautiful when she is confident and loves who she is. Men are most handsome when they are confident and love who they are. If you don’t love yourself, how can you love others?