I opened my social media account and saw pictures of my friends having fun at the beach. They were wearing some pretty swimsuits that I wish I could wear but I can’t because I am not confident with my own skin. I was around my early twenties at that time. I was feeling insecure about my body.
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Also read: Feeling Lost at 25: 5 Ways to Deal
Feeling insecure about my body: The early beginnings
I started feeling insecure about my body at an early age. At around high school, my face was full of pimples and I can’t help but compare myself to my other classmates which have clear and fair skin. I carried that insecurity up until I entered college. I became anorexic during my 3rd year because I want to be sexy, just like the girls around my age. But somehow, even though I was so thin, I am still feeling insecure about my body.
It seems that the more I try to find ways to make myself feel good about my body; nothing works. I was insecure and this insecurity affected my confidence in many ways.
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It was when I was working when I started overcoming the insecurity I have with my body. I went to a church where the community and the teachings made me understood what the gospel really means – that I was a sinner and that Jesus loved me so much that He came to live the life I could not live and died the death I should have died. After understanding the great love of Jesus for me, He helped me see who I really am. Before, I was feeling insecure about my body, but now I embrace the freedom of who I am in Jesus Christ.
Are you also saying this, “I am feeling insecure about my body.”? Let me share to you how I dealt with my insecurity and hope that these will help you, too.
Feeling insecure about my body: How to Deal
Know and Love God
Everything started changing when I chose to know who God is in my life. The more I get to know who He is, the more I started to love Him. And the more I started to love Him, the more I started to let go of my insecurities.
If you are feeling insecure about your body, I highly suggest you come to know and love God first. Why do I say this even though it seems it doesn’t fit? Well, it’s because by knowing and loving God, you take your eyes off yourself and fix your eyes on Him. And by fixing your eyes on Him, you will see and know what is important and what is not. By looking at God, you help yourself see things in the right perspective. It will help you see what is worth it and more valuable than the temporary things of this world, and that includes our bodies.
How do you know and love God? You do this by spending time in reading His word and praying. He promised in Jeremiah 29:11-13 that “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” It is His delight to make himself known to you if you just come to Him and seek Him with all your heart.
Self-confidence, in a Christian way!
When we think about self-confidence, we often exclude God and the Bible in the picture. How refreshing would it be to find confidence in a spiritual way?
The Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, and Self-Image
Recent decades have seen the rise of a powerful and influential movement within the church. Identified by labels such as “self-image,” “self-esteem,” “self-worth,” and “self-love,” this movement has one common denominator―the emphasis on self. Regardless of religious persuasion, everyone seems to be fighting what they perceive to be a shared enemy: low self-esteem.
Now well-known biblical counselor and noted author Jay Adams brings much-needed clarification to the area of self-esteem and offers the church and every believer a truly biblical view of self. Available in Amazon.
Know and Love Yourself
After loving and knowing who God is in my life, I started knowing who I was. And by knowing who I was, I started accepting and loving myself.
If you are having insecurities with your body, it is important that you accept who you are and love yourself for being you. Remember, there is only one you in this world, so don’t try to be someone else. Never compare yourself with others, as well. The reason why we become insecure is that we compare ourselves to others. So, do yourself a favor. Stop being too hard on yourself and start to love who you are.
Part of loving yourself is trying to be healthy and making yourself presentable. So, don’t be scared to do exercise and put a little bit of makeup on. Make sure that the reason you do this is for yourself, not for anybody else.
One verse that helped me love myself is the verse from Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Whenever I am feeling insecure about my body, I read this verse and remind myself that I am wonderfully made by God.
Know and Love Others
This may sound different but knowing and loving others helped me also about my insecurities with my body. After knowing who God is and embracing who I was, I started looking at people like how I look at myself – each one is beautiful in their own way. And this view totally erased my insecurities about my body. It stopped me from focusing on what I don’t have and helped me focus on how I can help them. At the same time, it made me happier with who I am, knowing that despite having flaws in my body, I still have the capability to be kind and loving – which goes a very long way.
Deal with your insecurities by trying to know and love others, as well. Share the love that you experience from loving yourself. This will stop you from comparing you from others, taking your eyes from the insecurities and letting you see the beauty in others.
Remember what is said in 1 Peter 3:4, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes, but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.”
If you are currently experiencing this or you know someone who does, I want to let you know that God wants to help you overcome that insecurity. Come to Him first – you will never go wrong with that decision.
Written By: Hannah Aloyon
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