I am about to reveal the raw truth about what most teenagers struggle with. Being a teenage girl myself, I can admit it isn't easy going about our everyday lives surrounded by the social media versions of others, and the "perfect" lives they live. We all do this: we wake up, check our phones, open social media, and bam... a bikini photo of a Victoria's Secret model pops up on your feed. Immediately, you compare yourself.
This is one of the worst things we can do as human beings because every individual is unique and born with different bodies, looks, and personalities. Some people, celebrities for example, bathe in the opportunities of altering their look to fit the goal: perfection. But perfection doesn't exist. Others don't have this luxury and live very normal lives where your natural self is revealed every day, no alterations. But you shouldn't feel insufficient for this.
Comparing yourself to others can lead to dark, uneasy mindsets. You may be comparing yourself without even realizing it, but if you feel a sense of envy towards others' lives, you should immediately refute it and choose the opposite way of looking at the situation. Hearing about how successful someone is becoming shouldn't make you reflect on your life and think about how you haven't reached that same level yet, but instead you should be happy for them.
Don't let comparing yourself to others bring you down, but rather allow it to motivate you to do better. If they could do it, I'm sure you can too. This goes for many things: the toned gym body the girl that spends every day at the gym has, or the prestigious reward your classmate received for an excelling GPA, for example. Refute your hunger to compare, and use these things as motivators for your own life.
If you are unsatisfied with your body and have thoughts of wishing you looked more fit, then you should make the time to go to the gym and work on getting to your goal. Every body shape and size is different, but a way to improve your self confidence is by being your best self and putting in the effort to reach your goals. If someone has a higher GPA than you or has completed more rigorous courses or internships than you, that should inspire you to study harder and try your best. Again, it wouldn't be fair to you to compare yourself to them; as long as you devote yourself to doing your best, then you should be proud of yourself and accept that their success shouldn't be compared to yours.
Some Quick Tips For Improving Your Self Confidence:
1. Love Yourself
Try acknowledging, or maybe writing down, the things about yourself that you like.
2. Remove Negative Thoughts
Negative thoughts can weigh you down. Pushing yourself to be "perfect" is unrealistic and exhausting. Instead of thinking, "I'm not good enough," think about what you are good at, and how you can try your best at everything you do.
3. Realize You're Not Alone
The beauty about living in a world with 7 billion people is the reassurance that you're not alone. If you need someone to talk to, could be a friend, family member, or stranger, you should reach out and it will feel good getting the weight off of your shoulders.
