I know what it’s like to have that little demon on your shoulder giving you constant reminders of your flaws and doubts. We all have these thoughts, and it’s natural, but it’s important to remember that these thoughts do not define you, and they are not even close to who you really are.

Believe me when I say it’s not easy. I thought I was starting to gain a semblance of confidence in myself again until I recently started a new relationship. Suddenly, I was back to second-guessing my every move, and the little demon on my shoulder returned to tempt me into believing I’m not good enough for him — or for myself for that matter. How could someone actually see me as “worth it?” Despite efforts on his end to reassure me “[I'm] more than good enough,” I can’t help but have these thoughts overwhelm my brain about how I’m not.

These thoughts are unbelievably destructive, and you can’t let them control you because if you do, it’ll become impossible to be happy and healthy. I’ve learned this the hard way numerous times, which is one of the reasons I’m writing this today. This is to tell you that you can control your negative thoughts about yourself because they aren’t true.

Think of it this way: pretend you’re on a diet and negative thoughts are a huge, greasy pepperoni pizza. The pizza tempts you to stray, much like your negative thoughts, but you cannot let the pizza (or your brain) lead you astray from your goal of being truly happy!

Girls are having this feeling now more than ever, and it’s an epidemic that needs to be put to an abrupt end. Between paper thin celebrities, social media pressures, “bad b*tches” and everything else we see on a day-to-day basis that may hinder our positive ideas of ourselves, I am here to tell you that you are absolutely perfect just the way you are.

Also, half the time those people we see online don’t even look how they seem to look. It’s called photoshop.

Everyone is created a certain way on purpose, and no matter what you do, you will not fit the “image” for every single person you meet in life. That’s just the way it is. Because of that, you have to find that place inside yourself that sees you as perfect, even if someone else doesn’t. Not to mention, if that other person doesn’t, they don’t deserve you, anyway!

I’ve had people talk down to me. I’ve been called more names than I can recall. And I’ve felt the urge to hate myself because of how I look and act. I’ve also learned that those jerks who felt the need to treat me in such a bad way do not reflect who I am — it reflects who they are.

Me, you and everyone else on this planet is an image of perfection. The same entity that created Rihanna, Beyoncé and Emma Watson decided the world needed one of you, too. That is the most important thing.

Always remember that.

Show this world exactly what you’re made of.