I have had low self-esteem since at least the age of ten. I was never the skinny child nor was I the girl with many friends. I was the shy girl who never really talked to anyone. That was the beginning of my ten year struggle with loving myself.

I had never really felt pretty. I was always in that ugly-awkward stage. There were always girls who were prettier than me.

I had to crush this idea. Of course there will always be someone who's prettier than you. The way to defeat this is to accept this fact but also realize that you're unique. There will always be people who are more attractive than you. It's a fact of life. I started to stop comparing myself to others, and the amount of happiness, self-love and appreciation it brought me was astounding.

My weight has always been an issue. I've tried dieting and exercising, but I always ended up losing ambition and interest in the matter.

I'm not going to say I've solved this one because I clearly have not. I have learned to accept my weight though. I still have days when I feel like the ugliest, fattest person on the planet, but I have really great friends who help me get out of that mindset. By accepting my body as-is, I've allowed an entirely new depth to my self-love. Curvy girls are beautiful, too!

I've had stretch marks since puberty. They've increased as I've aged and cover a majority of my body. I used to be incredibly uncomfortable with them, but I'm not anymore. I mean, 80% of women have them, so I can't really pretend I'm the only woman who has them. I still sometimes hate how my naked body looks, but I've gotten more used to it and have finally started feeling comfortable in my own skin.

How did I do this, you ask? Well, a lot of looking at myself in the mirror naked. Once I normalized my body and accepted it as-is, it was SO MUCH EASIER to love myself. It was a lot of work, and I had to totally change my perspective on my body. It took years and years before I finally got to the point where I could say that my body is beautiful. It may have stretch marks, blemishes, fat rolls, and scars, but it's still my body and it's still gorgeous.

People tend to have opinions about how my body should look and what I should and shouldn't be doing for my body. I should be exercising more and eating more vegetables. Maybe I should stop drinking soda or take a vitamin every day. I've heard all of the suggestions, and I've tried a few. But one thing I had to realize was that MY OPINION of MY BODY is the ONLY OPINION that MATTERS.

I learned to stop caring what people think. I tune them out when they put me down or give me the same suggestions I've been told since I was 10. The truth of the matter is, I am not going to lose weight or go on a diet until I'm ready. This is my body, and people need to accept that. Once I stopped soaking in all of the negative comments people have made about my body, I became a lot happier. I began to love myself just that little bit more.

I used to laugh at compliments for several reasons: 1) I didn't believe them about myself 2) I didn't think the person complimenting me actually meant it, and 3) I didn't think I deserved compliments.

Once I started accepting compliments (whether I believed them or not), I became a lot happier. If someone called me beautiful, I would thank them politely. Eventually, I stopped having to accept compliments that I didn't believe. I started to believe them myself. Now the compliment I receive the most is that I'm beautiful. To me that's the most important compliment I could get for the most part. It's not because I'm obsessed with my looks or love being called beautiful, but it's because that's the ONLY COMPLIMENT I've had an issue receiving. If someone calls me intelligent, I believe them right away because I am intelligent. Hard-working? Yes, I have to work hard for every opportunity I've had and for every grade I've received. Caring? I put more effort into my friendships and relationships than anyone I know. Loving? I love like I've never seen anyone love before. It's actually kind of obnoxious, but that's beside the point.

After I took these few steps toward self-love, I became the most confident among my friends. I became the friend who will outwardly admit that they're amazing because I AM AMAZING. I will say "I know. Thank you" when someone says I'm beautiful because I am very well aware that I am. Despite my issues with self-esteem in the past, I have made some wonderful strides toward self-acceptance. I have had several people look up to me because I am confident in who I am and I love myself. That to me is so important because maybe if they see it was possible for me, they will see the light at the end of their tunnel.

At the end of the day, self-love is one of the most important things to overcome. It will help you succeed in so many aspects of your life. You will grow as a person and be able to be confident in who you are.

Please don't forget you're beautiful and worthy, no matter what anyone says. It is possible to love yourself. Please don't give up on your self-love journey.