By

Updated 7 years ago,November 1, 2017

I know that I should love myself.

That I should look in the mirror and like or at leastaccept what I see inside my reflection.

I know that I should keep my standards high because I deserve to be treated with kindness and respect.

Girl who is struggling to love herself

Unsplash / Allan Filipe Santos Dias

I know that Ishouldbe doing these things, feeling these things, but its so damn hard.

It is hard for me to replace self-criticism with self-love.

I am not used to accepting compliments.

Article image

To liking the way that I look in pictures.

To smiling with my teeth showing.

To viewing myself as beautiful or even as average.

Girl who is struggling to love herself

Unsplash / Allan Filipe Santos Dias

I am used to blending into the background.

To hoping that nobody notices me.

To selling myself short.

To thinking the worst.

I am struggling tolove myselfbecause I have secretlyhated myselffor so long.

I have told self-deprecating jokes about how I am going to die alone.

I have harmed myself emotionally and physically.

I have created a long list of flaws about myself that I cannot stop thinking about.

I have grown used to assuming that I am not attractive enough when another person leaves me.

Assuming that I am not fun enough when another friendship fades away.

In my mind, everything is my fault.

I know that thistoxicmindset needs to change.

I need to learn to love myself the way that my family and my friends love me.

Even if it feels like I am completely unlovable.

I am going to stop countingright swipesandlikes.

I am going to stop thinking so poorly of myself.

I am going to give myself a break.

I am going to slowly learn to love myself.