Don't be surprised that I'm bringing up a subject that is still very commonly discussed; yes, ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about BODY IMAGE. 

As a kid, were you ever told that you're too slow and can't join a race? Were you ever compared to your cousins and told you were chubby and needed to watch your weight? Did you ever look in the mirror and absolutely hate every inch of your body? Well, I have. And this issue festered and stayed with me for a very long time. 

As I got older, it never got easier; with society, the media and peer pressure, I continued to compare myself to unrealistic people who would starve themselves or get plastic surgery to look a certain way! But why all that? Because you have to have that perfect body, otherwise you won't fit in. 

You grow up hating your looks and your body because no one teaches you how to love yourself. No one tells you that your heart and soul matter too because they were struggling and dieting as well, not wanting to be the chubby outcast. 

So, what happened in the following chapters of my life? Naturally, I kept dieting, binging and exercising like crazy while the cycle of self-hate just kept on going on and on... 

I am sharing this because I aspire to help as many people as I can by sharing my own experience with this issue. Not many people are open with their struggles with body image and although mine might not be that special, believe me, that behind many closed doors you will find horrifying stories of anorexia, bulimia and much more. 

Asking for professional help with this problem is a must; you will be amazed at how little you know about yourself, how many beautiful things there are and what an incredible individual you are. Nonetheless, this remains a tricky subject to deal with: you go out for fun and end up worrying about the calories you indulged in, how much weight you've gained, how guilty and disgusted with yourself you feel and, sadly, the list goes on. 

But let's remind ourselves that nothing stays the same if we make an effort to change it.

God sent some amazing people my way, people who have helped me understand my behaviour and the emotions I was going through. People who taught me to love myself and my body. Every day, I was getting better at appreciating my body. I wouldn't say that I'm content with my body nor would I say that the process is easy because it seems like there is always more work to be done.

So instead of looking at yourself in the mirror and pointing out your flaws, try to find something you like about yourself. My dear nutritionist who helped me through this once told me to look myself in the eye and say: "I love you," after which I broke down. I felt so sorry for myself and sorry for not loving and supporting myself. Until that moment, I didn't realize how I did myself so wrong. 

Basically, this is how the process went for me: she taught me to understand my body and my emotions. I learned to understand and recognize emotional eating and how it was triggered for me. I'm happy to say that it has been a while since I binge ate. Those lessons taught me how to enjoy food and how not feel guilty after consuming a hefty, fatty meal. 

I then started perceiving myself differently and began to appreciate my good traits and, with time, I started to pay less notice to my physical flaws. That also introduced a better understanding of exercise, it became a form of therapy, a time for my outer and inner self to burn off steam, rather than to burn off fat. To this day, exercise gives me a sense of euphoria, a sense of inner happiness that little things in life can provide. When you start looking at things differently and realize how much your body can achieve, you will change your mind. I did kickboxing, which gave me a lot of confidence. I am currently weightlifting and my body is getting much stronger. 

I became better at controlling my behaviour and this put me in a better relationship with myself to never to take for granted and to always work for a better, lighter future.  

We need to get stronger and healthier to prepare our bodies to age better with fewer injuries and... hey, wait a minute! No one said there is anything wrong with wanting to look better and fitter. But let's start with working on our mindsets, let's work hard towards breaking this evil mould of what and who we should look like. Let's set ourselves free from this notion once and for all. 

God bless.