How do I stop hating the way I look?

I'm a 16 year old girl and I hate the way I look. I hate everything about my appearance. I have no idea how to make myself look better. How do I stop hating everything about myself?

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous #1

I'm a 16 year old girl and I hate the way I look. I hate everything about my appearance. I have no idea how to make myself look better. How do I stop hating everything about myself?

This is such a hard question to answer but I can tell you it gets better with age. I felt the way you feel now when I was 16 and to an extent I feel it now. But then I got into exercise, I started eating healthier and overall started valuing my body more. Obviously I have days I dislike a lot about myself but I try and counteract it with the things I do like. Plus you’re probably in school which is such a hard time because not only are you worried about yourself but you’re also worried what everyone else thinks of you. I promise it gets better x

Reply 2

sophier2005

Original post by Anonymous #1

I'm a 16 year old girl and I hate the way I look. I hate everything about my appearance. I have no idea how to make myself look better. How do I stop hating everything about myself?

Try to feel body neutrality about how you look, focus on what you can do and not what you look like. For example you could be grateful for your hearing and being able to listen to music.
If you exercise, make your goals related to how many push-ups you can do (or something else) and not how much weight you can lose. Try to pick out a feature that you do like on yourself.

Reply 3

Muttly

I used to have gappy teeth when I was in my teens and I was afraid to smile. About a decade later someone hit me in the face and it broke my front teeth. I endured hours of painful reconstructive dental bridgework and dental treatment. Yet far from being devastated I was overjoyed. It had created me a new set of false teeth with no gaps.

For a while during the episode I had no front teeth. I decided to go for it into the social scene and go out and about. It was interesting to see how people reacted to my glaring new found gaps. When I spoke to others I felt most self conscious. Soon the self consciousness wore off. I reached a point where I couldn't care less about what people thought - I realised so many other people had so many disabilities. I was humbled when I realised life could be so much worse. How could I be self conscious and complain about my teeth when someone had no legs, or no sight? Yes there were many times where the pain of the treatments and the recovery got me down. But it made me realise the physical side of each of us is important but is so very superficial. You have control over how much you let others dictate your life. Don't let them in with their comments and don't waste your money.

You can be seduced by influencers and mass marketing making you believe that if you spend billions on skin products, or fillers or botox your life will be so much better. It won't Those companies are manipulating your insecurities. Recognise what is going on and resist the urge to be suckered in by such pressure. Your genetic make up is really the most important back drop to your health and your skin condition.

How you are on the inside is how beautiful you really are. If you are happy and upbeat, cheerful, caring and at one with your self you will attract others like moths to a lamp. It doesn't matter if you have the figure of the side of a bus or a face built for radio. Be yourself. Know what interests you have. Be interested in others. Help others. Then you can be kind and beautiful to so many more people and receive their love and care in return.

Stop hating, start loving the bits that work. Three positives at the end of every day - something you can be grateful for. Train yourself to do this. Drift asleep thinking of happy thoughts. Insecure people can be very cruel and unkind, but often they reflect onto others their own unhappiness, and hope they can make someone else feel their pain. Do not absorb it. It needs other people to create pain in others. You have a choice to accept it.

Let go of all of the hurt. Remind yourself never to hold onto that inner destructive voice who will create havoc and harm for you. Then when the sun shines on you breathe in and enjoy the warmth and just be thankful - for another day.

Reply 4

Sajid Ameen

Original post by Anonymous

I'm a 16 year old girl and I hate the way I look. I hate everything about my appearance. I have no idea how to make myself look better. How do I stop hating everything about myself?