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Updates from Upperclassmen by Hannah Willner

Our worst enemy, the face we don’t like to see in the mirror, the last person we want to be, is often ourselves. We try to see ourselves in a different light, but that voice in the back of our head can scream disapproval, shutting down confidence, picking at our weakness. If it wasn’t bad enough that our thoughts live with us 24/7, we also live in a society where we have the world at our fingertips. Social media opens up a door of comparison, jealousy flooding through every image, idolizing every face and life but our own. Loving ourselves is not easy, but it is so worth it.

Acknowledging self hatred is a great first step into the path of improvement. Realizing that you are letting your mind and inner thoughts control how you feel and look from the outside can help you decipher what is real and what your mind is telling you. Give yourself compassion. Understand that you are not perfect but no one else in this world is either. Everyone has things that they wish they could change about themselves. You may be looking at a girl wishing you were her size, while she could be looking at you wishing she had your eyes. It’s all a game, a messed up, never-ending game, where no one’s a winner. So quit the game. Don’t let yourself be dragged down because of someone else’s beauty. You can acknowledge their perfections, but you must learn to do the same for yourself. You know the cheesy saying “practice makes perfect”? Well, that’s exactly what it’s going to take. Practicing letting go of the comparison and giving yourself a compliment instead is a healthy habit to improve on.

There is no one like you. It’s true. Not one person on this earth is exactly like you. You are unique in your own beautiful way. Whether you believe in a God, or the universe, or whatever, you were created to be on this earth. Do you even know how rare you are? Do you realize how many chances took place for you to exist? It’s almost a miracle that you are alive. But here you are. Think about how many things had to happen to lead to your existence. Yes, a mommy and a daddy had to do you know what to conceive you but it’s deeper than that. The possibility of every past ancestor of yours finding each other, and each one of those single sperms and eggs finding each other is as rare as it gets. An article written by Dina Spector says that “The probability of you existing at all comes out to 1 in 10 ^ 2,685,000.” Really think about that! That’s basically a zero chance that you are here. That being said, give yourself a bit more slack because you are literally the only you, and it took a whole lot of miracles for you to be born. Stop letting comparison and self hatred get in the way of you experiencing this crazy life that you were given and start loving your beautifully rare, impossible self. Remember you are 1 in 10 ^ 2,685,000.

It’s hard to love ourselves. It’s easy to love what others portray. It’s even easier to become obsessed with what we wish we could be. Living in a world where comparison is so easily triggered by social media can make this idea of self love seem almost impossible, but self hatred is exhausting and it is no way to live. Remember that nobody is perfect; we all slip into the cycle of comparison, but it is so vital that we get up and remember that we are each so rare. There is nobody like you. You are the only you on this earth! And on top of that, it is a miracle that you are even you. This is your sign to let go of idolizing others and start becoming a fan of yourself.

Hannah Willner is a senior at Albert Lea High School.