When the glass is half empty:

I am a pathetic loser who doesn’t have more than two best friends. I don’t know how to talk to other girls well, or people my own age for that matter. I can be awkward and don’t know what to say during these conversations with my peers. I have never had a truly satisfying friendship or one that seems anything like the ones other people claim to have. I have poor friend making skills.

I am short. I don’t have abs. I am not a tan goddess all year round. I look four years younger than I actually am. I have split ends. At times I wish my nose was smaller. My nails aren’t manicured. I don’t have perfectly shaped eyebrows. I was practically born with bags underneath my eyes. I look at magazines and models and think to myself I’m not skinny or pretty enough.

I don’t know how to have fun. I am a nerd. I care too much. I am not athletic. I am not perfect…

But why do I keep telling myself that I should be all of these things? I should be looking at the glass as half full.

I am already amazingly great. I am friendly and caring of others. I have many acquaintances whom I can rely on for a smile or a wave when I pass them by on campus. I am learning how to get along with girls at my dominantly female school. I have people who look up to me and want to get to know me, so I must become more open with people. I talk to and include everybody. I have different groups of people that I have to get to know more, but who could eventually turn into my best friends.

I play volleyball for my college team, and my shorter stature allows me to hit the floor quicker. I may not have abs or tan skin, but I am skinny, healthy, and beautiful. My facial features make me who I am and I don’t want to change them. Manicured nails and threaded eyebrows will not make me any better of a person, but not having them will save me lots of money. I am beautiful and eventually when I’m older, I will be grateful for having such a young looking face.

I am smart. I am helpful. I am diligent. I am pretty. I am caring. I am not perfect… but I need to accept that it is okay! I work myself up too much and I put myself down, but for what? It doesn’t solve anything. I need to battle this perfectionism and realize that I cannot be perfect, but should accept myself for who I am. I need to be more positive and loving towards myself.

I think we all could love ourselves a little more. Society demands a lot of us today. Social media makes us feel like shit because everywhere we look, there are fake, photoshopped, “perfect” people staring at us. For those who are like me and can be sensitive to society’s demands and social media’s models of illusion...take a look at yourself and realize all of your great qualities. Think of the glass as half full and turn all the bad around to make something good. It requires a decent amount of effort each day to turn this negative thinking into positive, but we have to do it. We have to change the perception of ourselves into something good, because if we do not value and think highly of ourselves, who else will?