I have always had the hardest time loving myself. But, even more specifically, I have always had an ever harder time loving my body.

Honestly, the amount of times I have stood in front of a mirror and picked myself apart (not skinny enough, not fit enough, hair isn't long enough, face isn't thin enough, thighs are too big, stomach isn't flat enough) is obscene. The amount of times I have compared myself to other girls and felt inadequate is disturbing. The amount of times I have cried myself to sleep wishing I was someone else is just...heartbreaking.

And I know I'm not the only one.

Women, in my opinion, have the hardest time developing and keeping a positive body image. We are constantly being shown what the 'ideal' body looks like, what the 'best' features are and what guys find 'attractive.'

And all of that makes it insanely hard to feel good about yourself.

I have a family, a boyfriend and numerous friends who tell me every day how beautiful I am, and yet I still can't believe it for myself.

I'm sitting here starting to tear up as I write this because 1. I desperately wish I didn't feel this way and 2. I know so many girls feel this way too and it just makes me so sad.

Why are we so incapable of loving who we are?

Yes, there are some things you can change. But I think the point people are missing is that if you've felt a certain way for so long...it's so hard to snap out of it. And what about the things you can't change? What do you do about them?

And I guess the best answer to that is to accept them.

I don't accept myself. I don't accept my flaws and imperfections. I don't feel beautiful most of the time. And I can feel that hatred weighing me down...and it hurts like hell.

I seldom take my own advice, but I think this time I need to. It's imperative for my mental and physical health.

We all need to make a conscious decision to be nicer to ourselves. We need to dig deep, find the cause of the problem and address it. I can't keep living with this pain, and I know all of you can't, either.

Body acceptance is hard. It's hard when you live in a world that idolizes a certain body type or a certain lifestyle and you just don't meet the criteria. But what the magazines and reality TV shows don't tell you is that EVERY body type is beautiful. And now, we have to work toward feeling that way about ourselves.

I vow to work on loving and accepting myself. I vow to work on the things I don't like and to accept the things I cannot change. I vow to be nicer to myself and to build my confidence back up. I vow to accept compliments instead of shooting them down.

I have a lot of work ahead of me, and I know it won't be easy. I'm sitting here dreading the thought of it because it's easier to bring myself down than to pick myself up. But it needs to be done, and future me will thank present me when I'm happier and mentally healthier.

I hope we can all learn to love and accept ourselves because deep down...we know we deserve to. But remember, you're not alone in this battle.