Live a healthy and happy life.
I know how it feels being told that I am fat. Believe me.
I feel like I’ve got a flabby belly, while all my friends have flat stomachs.
But my friends always make me feel beautiful by telling me not to compare myself with anyone else. That loving myself the way I am is where true beauty comes from.
I started to think that I needed to lose weight, but they came in and helped me to see myself for who I really am.
At one point I even thought of taking diet pills, but after I searched the internet about its effects, I immediately changed my mind.
Not only is it unhealthy, but most of the diet pills that you can find are not even registered with the Medicines Control Council. All medicines available to the public must be registered with MCC, which checks if they are safe or not to use on humans.
After reading this, I thought to myself “my body is too precious for me to put it in danger”.
So I took my journal and started writing a journey to learning how to love myself. I use the journal to remind myself that I’m beautiful, smart and kind!
Step 1 – I start to make healthier food choices, like eating an apple for a snack instead of a kota. Plus an apple is R2 and a kota is R10, I get to save some money for more fruits. Yay for me!
Step 2 – I joined a traditional dance group in my neighbourhood. My friends told me about it and I thought I should at least give it a try. From the beginning I felt like I belonged as everyone is welcoming and even if you don’t know how to dance like me, they will teach you. We do different types of dances, like Zulu, Venda and my favourite, Setswana. Other than making me energetic, moving my body has also boosted my mood and helps me sleep better!
Step 3 – I see a different me. Every time I look in the mirror, I see a powerful and confident girl. In my journal I write what I appreciate about myself every night. Like, “I appreciate how my I’ve improved my dance moves”, “I can dance” or “I appreciate the way I look, I am beautiful”. And in the morning I wake up to recite these to myself in the mirror. This has helped me to see myself as a beautiful girl inside and out. I have accepted myself for the way I am because no one else is like or will ever be like me.
I am so happy to say that I feel beautiful in my own skin, and every girl deserves to feel the same way too!
