College is a time in your life where your main priorities should be doing well in your classes, getting involved on your campus, and making life long friendships with your fellow peers. It should NOT be a time in your life where you feel bad about yourself because of a number on the scale or how you look in a bikini. College should be a time where you learn to love and accept yourself for who you are. However, accepting yourself for who you are can be extremely daunting with the thousands of articles online that tackle the subject of avoiding the dreaded "freshman 15" and gaining weight in college.

Many articles discuss the freshman 15 as if it were a dreaded plague or an illness straight out of a horror film. While it may seem like a terrible thing at the moment, I'm here to tell you that it is okay! It's okay if you gain 15 pounds in college! It's okay if you gain 40! It's also okay if you lose 15 pounds in college! The only thing that matters is if you are happy and healthy. Accepting yourself for who you are will not only help you become a happier individual, but it will also help you become less stressed out.

Body positivity is accepting that your body, and every other body for that matter, is valuable and worthy of acceptance and praise. It's knowing that you are okay with the number on the scale and the way that you look. If you are not okay with it, it's understanding what you need to do to become okay with who you are, and not making that your only focus in life. When you accept how you look, you can free the burden of body issues from your mind, and instead place your focus on things that are more valuable. This is especially important in college, as you can spend less time worrying about your weight, and more time studying for important exams.

If you are wondering how to become body positive, I've assembled a few tips to help you start your journey:

1. Be kind to yourself

Don't put yourself down, instead always try to see the beauty in you.

2. Don't put down other people's bodies

While it is true that we can often time be our harshest critic, there's something so humiliating about someone telling you that you are "getting chubby" or "starting to look unhealthy." Try to think of how you would feel if someone was talking about your body like that, and instead offer kind words to everyone you meet.

3. Remember that weight is only a number

Your weight doesn't define you, and you shouldn't let it control your life either

4. Learn how to accept compliments

Don't dismiss it or try to make it a joke if someone tells you a compliment, instead accept it, and make it a way to feel better about yourself!

5. Exercise to feel better, not to necessarily look better-

When exercising, don't do it solely for the benefit of looking skinnier or more fit. Instead, exercise to feel better on the inside and outside!

Body positivity truly is such an important trait to have in college, and I hope that anyone that reads this realizes the importance of being body positive not only in college but in life as well. Everyone is unique and special in their own ways, and if we can all learn to accept ourselves for who we are, the world can become a much happier place.