I grew up believing that I was beautiful. As a kid, I was always thought that I could accomplish anything that I set my mind to. I always knew that my size didn't matter as long as I took care of my health.

I realize that not everyone grew up with this mentality, but I did. Because of it, I avoided a lot of insecurity as a teenager. While my friends were constantly poking at their stomachs begging them to shrink, I often couldn't relate to them.

I'm not saying that I was never insecure; trust me, I had plenty of things that I disliked about myself. I just didn't entertain my insecurities as much as other people my age. I tended to focus instead on what I liked about myself or learning how to improve what was good about me.

I remember a friend of mine who had always been very insecure coming up to me and one other friend once, jumping up and down with excitement at school.

"Guess what! You're never going to believe this!"

She then stood with both of her feet together and motioned towards her legs.

"Look how close I am to a thigh gap!"

"You look great!" exclaimed my other friend at the same time that I asked, "Why are you happy about that?"

This earned me a dirty look from both friends. Upon further questioning, I learned that my friends had both been skipping meals regularly in order to lose weight. I was shocked. After a little conversation, I remember them both being upset with me and saying something along the lines of, "Sorry that we can't be as confident as you."

I remember being so confused.

When did it become an accomplishment for an already slim and healthy, young girl to lose weight? When did it become normal for girls to applaud each other for practicing the same habits as those with eating disorders? When did it become abnormal for a girl to be confident in herself?

I've seen it progress throughout the years, and I've finally caught on; insecurity is trending.

When someone compliments me now, my habitual response is to immediately degrade whatever they complimented. Too often, my conversations go something like:

"Your hair looks good."

"Stop, no it doesn't. Your hair looks amazing."

or

"I like your shirt."

"It was literally like $2, but thank you anyways!"

Why don't I feel as comfortable when I'm accepting a compliment as I do when I'm talking down on myself?

I see memes and edits where the punchline is that the creator is referring to themselves as trash or pointing out common insecurities.

If you're genuinely unhappy with the way that you are, I hope that you find your way soon. I hope that you come to realize how stunning of a creation that you truly are. I just wanted to emphasize that you don't have to be insecure. You don't have to compliment your friends on unhealthy habits, and you don't have to participate in those things.

Confidence is a choice- sometimes a really hard one. Will you choose it today?