MDA National Ambassador Blog-Letters From Leah: I Love Me!

In today’s fast paced world, we often forget to take care of ourselves.  We focus so much on helping others that we often tend to put our own feelings and health aside. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with taking care of the ones we love. In fact, being there for them shows how much we really care. I know that we would do anything for those special people in our lives. However, it is just as IMPORTANT to take time for yourself to find clarity! One of the most important relationships is the one that you have with YOURSELF.

Leah Z.

There was a point in my life where I was losing bonds with people who I had known my entire life. I felt very alone and quickly turned my focus to my imperfections. I thought that if I could only change myself, they would come back. I did not realize it then, but I was clearly struggling with accepting myself. During this tough period in my life, I would often go to bed crying. What did not help me was that I cared so much about what others felt that I totally disregarded my own feelings. Even though I was the one being hurt. What I learned was NOT to be afraid of speaking up for myself and to start valuing my feelings.  I also learned that my self-worth does not rely on how many people I have around me.

During that time when I was struggling with accepting myself, I put myself down all the time. I could not look at myself in the mirror without crying and feeling ugly. I would see things online about the “perfect” weight, how to look pretty, and so much more. At the time, I thought doing things to change myself would make me feel more confident, but it only made me feel worse. Talking about this scares me, but I know that there are so many others who also struggle with this. This is why I choose to share my story and to be as real as possible with everyone.

You should never feel the need to change anything about yourself. We are all made in a unique way and that is what makes us special! It doesn’t matter how we look, what we wear, the amount of friends we have, or how much money we have. What truly matters is our personalities. Being kind to one another – and most importantly being loving to yourself!

I have a secret that helped me get through those times and that still helps me get through the day now. When I’m getting ready in the morning, I look in the mirror and I compliment myself. If you can so easily compliment others, why can’t you do the same for yourself? Little steps lead to big results. Learn to treat yourself with kindness. Throw a few compliments in and take care of yourself the same way you would with people that you love. I’ve learned to just focus on enjoying my life and not to care about what people may say or think of me. You can, and should, do the same. Life is such a beautiful thing and there’s only one. When you love yourself, you glow inside. Don’t forget to say, “I love me!”

Love,

Leah