In this week’s Teen Talk I want to talk about self-esteem as low self-esteem is very common in teens. There are some people who view themselves as ugly, fat, etc. It is true that it is more common in girls than in guys but that does not mean there aren’t boys that feel the same way.
So what are some causes for low self-esteem? Well, in my personal opinion it would be bullying. There are a lot of people who would tease you with different hurtful things; some examples would be someone calls you fat, ugly or dumb. Also, the bullying is not always from your class mates or from people that go to school with you, a lot of teasing especially about weight come from your own family. They may not even notice that they are actually hurting your feelings; they probably only want to make a quick joke.
I have definitely seen this first hand, for an example, you walk into your home and your uncle is sitting there, watches you and says “Wow you are getting fat!” Chances are your uncle wasn’t trying to hurt you but was only making a joke. The problem with this is that this kind of teasing is worst than someone actually trying to hurt you because you would automatically think why your uncle would say that if it wasn’t true. So it would hurt more.
So what should you do to help? Well the first thing you need to know is that you should embrace yourself, find your flaws and conquer them. Who cares what other people think of you. You must learn to love yourself and not try to be the person everyone wants you do be. This may be cheesy but it’s true; everyone is special, nobody is really ugly.
It does not matter if you weigh 500 pounds or 120 pounds. The only thing that matters is your personality. You may not believe me but it’s true, if you believe that you are ugly other people will also see you as ugly. If you love yourself other people will love you to. You don’t need to try to impress people. Do the things that you like. Be yourself and be happy. The only thing that you should change about yourself is your view on yourself. If you do have low self-esteem think about these things; it won’t be easy to get out of it that easy. So I recommend talking to someone that you can trust and won’t judge you.
If you have ever teased someone about a flaw find them and apologies; probably you didn’t even know how badly you hurt him/her. Even if they did not show that they were hurt they surely felt it and probably are still thinking about it. Also, try to compliment people more often; you would be surprised on how much you actually helped them out.
Just know there is no need to look down on yourself stop worrying about your flaws and embrace yourself!
