This is how to start loving yourself again in a society that tries to tear you down

Bulimia was my best friend. I thought she was perfect for me at first, but just like an addiction she lured me in with false promises that she couldn’t keep. She told me that if I just threw up, that all my problems would be solved. But she failed to mention the consequences. She said I didn’t deserve to nourish my body and that food made me fat. She was wrong. She was there for me in the darkest of times, but I recently had to let her go. Not because I didn’t love her. But because our relationship was toxic.

In today’s society, it’s easy to fall for her tricks and into a pattern of self destruction, but after three years, I have finally escaped the madness. And though I do miss her presence at times when the guilt overcomes me — my body thanks me for letting her go and leaving room for the healing.

The problem isn’t us and our bodies, it never has been. It’s that our perception of ourselves is morphed into something negative due to a lack of self love and environmental conditions.

Below are some tips that I have been trying to apply in my life. I hope they are useful.

•Count your small victories — give yourself gold stars for all the good things you do or come up with some type of reward system for taking care of you.

•Set boundaries and try to stick to them!

•Eat — aim for three times a day, but know there are times when you will slip up. Forgive & try to better tomorrow. Every day is a fresh start.

•Stop checking your weight — it doesn’t matter THAT much okay. You are beautiful. You are beautiful. No matter what your weight is.

•If models make you hate yourself, try to unfollow some rather than constantly comparing.

•Don’t take people’s shit — self explanatory, you have a voice, don’t be afraid to use it to speak up for yourself.

•When you want to do something not so good for you, tell someone — Even if you don’t listen, hearing another perspective is always good.

•Don’t depend on others too much — people are unreliable, learn to adapt to being okay with yourself when no one is there with you.