We have always been told that being obese leads to multiple health problems like heart disease, asthma, diabetes, etc. All these are physical repercussions of being overweight. What about the mental and emotional implications, especially in teenagers?
Being obese during your teenage or any age takes a toll on your self-esteem. Multiple body shaming and teasing have led to anxiety, depression, and lower self-confidence.
Therefore, being overweight is a primary concern, but a more significant concern hinders your confidence levels.
Teenagers are laughed at and teased for being overweight, and this makes them feel underconfident and lost. They prefer staying indoors to socializing with their classmates.
You’re judged for participating in any sports or dance events because only a slim body can dance or run.
Not all adolescents are affected by this, but those with lower resilience often feel bad and start keeping to themselves.
How Overweight Affects People
I decided to write about this today because I have felt shy, self-conscious, and insecure about my weight. There has been a time when I used to wear a loose jacket, even during summers, to cover the fact that I was overweight.
Being on the plumper side definitely affects your personality, confidence, and the way you carry yourself.
You can feel people’s eyes scan your body and mouths pass comments about your appearance when you pass by. This surely can be depressing, and you start to feel horrible about yourself.
A few important things I would like to affirm here are:
1. Love yourself the way you are:
You should never be ashamed of your appearance. As long as you are comfortable and take continuous care of your body, you need not be apologetic for how you look.
Don’t let unrealistic body standards affect you and lower your self-esteem. Confidence is built on multiple things like intelligence, kindness, and the way you treat others.
Let your talent and capability speak for you, and not your body shape and size.
2. Take care of yourself:
Yes, being overweight can be overwhelming in terms of other health issues and also the way you look. Don’t let this overwhelm you, instead take it in good spirits, and work on yourself.
Exercise, alter your diet, and slowly shed off those extra pounds. Remember you are doing this for yourself, to be healthy and feel good about yourself.
3. Power of Perception:
You have the power to perceive situations the way you want them. So don’t let people’s comments dim your spark.
Negative comments don’t determine your value. Hence, you decide what and how much you want to hear and how you want to perceive the situation.
4. Be grateful:
Fat, thin, long hair, short hair, express gratitude for all you have. Counting your blessings helps focus on things we have rather than on things we don’t.
Accept things the way they are, change something you can, and let go of things you can’t change.
Conclusion
Confidence is the best accessory you can wear. Don’t let your appearance decide for you, and definitely don’t depend on your appearance to make you feel good about yourself.
Confidence can conquer the world. With confidence, you can achieve all you set of your mind. Weight, like age, is just a number that will go up one day and come down the other. Therefore, this inconsistent thing should not hamper your confidence and self-worth.
