Morgan F.

If you’re reading this, remember to focus on the whole of you.

Throughout my life, I have focused on my body image as a defining factor of who I am. Ever since I was young, I would compare myself to my peers or celebrities on social media and base my worth on it. This eventually turned into me developing an eating disorder to control what I looked like. Through my recovery, I learned so many essential skills and how your body is not something that should define your worth but instead just be the shell that allows you to live and share your real self.

Without your body, you wouldn’t be able to hug your friends and family.

Without your body, you wouldn’t be able to say “I love you”.

Without your body, you couldn’t share your smile with the world.

Without your body, you wouldn’t be able to hear the laughs of others.

And most importantly, without your body, you wouldn’t be able to express your wonderfully unique self.

It is incredibly important to take care of your body so you are able to do all of these things. Make sure you take time out of your days to get three proper meals, get proper amounts of sleep, relax and take deep breaths. If your body is not getting the time and fuel it needs to run, you will wear down. Your body will tire quicker, your personality will not be expressed as much. A balance is needed to take care of your body so you can feel healthy without hyper-focusing on it. This relationship is much easier said than done since most people will think they will feel better if they look like what they perceive as ‘perfect’. But it is crucial to remind yourself that you are so much more than what you look like on the outside. Your friends are not friends with you because of what you look like. They hang out with you because you’re funny, kind, a good listener, etc.

Don’t let your body define you; instead, remind yourself that your body is just a tangible representative of the amazing person you are.

Morgan F., Clemson University

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