Self esteem is one of the things I struggle with, I think most of us do. Working out has been a great way for me to feel better about myself, not only do I feel strong and productive but the endorphins help balance all those nagging little thoughts of, you are not pretty enough, skinny enough, or good enough. But still every once in a while there are times when those thoughts get the better of me, I look in the mirror and can't figure out why I ever felt good about myself to begin with... I have realized I can't trust my eyes, because I'm not seeing what everyone else does. I try to trust the good I do see and what people say to me but it can be hard when what you are looking at seems to contradict what people are telling you. Many times I have wished I could see what everyone else sees, I recently found this one website that kind of does that
It is a site dedicated to women showing pictures of themselves, including weight and clothing sizes. The whole website is dedicated to showing what real normal women look like (every shape and size). They are not edited or photo shopped, but just raw and real. You can look up women who have the same stats as you and realize they look pretty good and if you saw them in the street, most likely you wouldn't judge them they way you judge yourself. You can also scroll through the gallery and realize what 'real people' look like, instead of a crazy 'ideal' that isn't really possible. I still struggle, I seem to go through ups and downs but it helps to realize I'm normal and normal is pretty good.
