If You Ever Struggle With Feeling Beautiful, Remember These 10 Things

Sometimes it’s hard to remember what a strong, beautiful woman you are. When that happens, remember these 10 things to boost your confidence.

1. Practice beauty from within. I know this is cliche, but it’s important to remember. Beauty is only skin deep. Someone who’s insanely beautiful on the outside but has a nasty attitude and a bad personality is always instantly less attractive. So as long as you’re a good and decent person on the inside, you’ll always be beautiful. The most beautiful people shine out from within.
2. There’s more than one definition of beauty. For the longest time, beautiful in our society meant thin, blonde and fair-skinned. While being those things is beautiful for some people, it doesn’t mean that being full-figured, brown-skinned, and freckled also isn’t beautiful for others. Your brand of beautiful is just as alluring as what society has set as the default. Never forget that.
3. You can always change what you don’t like. Who says that you have to keep the same look all the time? You’re allowed to change your style to fit how you feel. Whenever I feel less beautiful, I’ll change my hairstyle, buy a new lipstick shade, or sign up for a new workout class. The point is that you have the power to define what beauty means to you.
4. No one feels beautiful all the time. You’re not alone—even supermodels feel ugly sometimes. The fact is that sometimes you’re not going to feel your hottest, but during these times, it’s really important that you treat yourself with love and kindness. You’re not required to be perfect looking 365 days of the year (or any day of the year, to be honest).
5. Anyone who makes you feel ugly isn’t someone you need in your life. If you’re not feeling beautiful because someone in your life is telling you that you’re not, you should consider cutting them out of your life. People like that aren’t worth your time and energy. In my experience, someone criticizing another person’s physical appearance is a reflection on them and their own insecurities. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with how they feel about themselves. Hold your head high and learn to ignore the BS.
6. Comparing yourself to other people isn’t worth it. It’s really easy to scroll through social media and say to yourself, “Wow, if only I had a body like hers,” or, “If only my hair looked that great all the time,” or, “Why can’t my skin be as flawless as this person’s?” In fact, I’m guilty of doing this more often than I’d like to admit. But I force myself to snap out of it! It’s totally fine to recognize another person’s beauty, admire it, and even aspire to achieve a similar look. It’s not OK to do so while putting yourself down at the same time. You’re never going to look exactly like someone else, and that’s a good thing. Embrace your differences!
7. Life isn’t a beauty pageant. Hello, this is not a competition! You don’t have to perform your beauty for anyone, ever. The only person you should doll up for is yourself because it makes you feel good. Society puts so much pressure on women to be perfect looking all the time from head to toe, but that’s ridiculous. Some days you might want to wear a full face of makeup and other days you might not have the energy. That’s OK. It doesn’t mean you’re not beautiful. Don’t believe that crap.
8. No one obsesses over your flaws more than you. Someone out there thinks that you’re the most gorgeous person they’ve ever seen. They aren’t obsessing over your flaws the way that you are. They love your cellulite, your freckles, your flat chest, your wide hips, your thick hair. They think you’re hot as hell. Trust me, it’s true.
9. Pour your energy into all the things you’re good at. When you’re feeling less beautiful, take inventory of all of the things you excel at. Reflect on all of the positive things that you have going for you in your life because those things contribute to your beautiful spirit. Be grateful for those things and derive some confidence from your achievements. Like  I said, people are drawn to those intangible parts of you just as much or more than they are to your outer beauty.
10. The feelings will pass. On days when you feel so bad about your physical appearance that it makes you want to stay in bed all day or not leave your house, just remember that those feelings will pass. They’re just temporary and once you’re over them, your ever-beautiful self will reemerge in all her glory.