Did someone make a personal remark about you that made you wish you looked different? Did someone just ruin your day by saying something mean about your looks?

If you find yourself often thinking that you would love it if you could change something about your face or body, then read on.

Sometimes you wish you were taller, shorter, a different shape, had more muscles, less fat or had shorter or longer fingers or looked different from that way you do. All of us think that way at some point or the other in life. It is natural. But to constantly live with the feeling that how you look is not good enough can create some problems for you. It can lower your self-esteem and make you feel less confident about yourselves. That is no good.

As you grow, your body and face change. When you become a teenager, even more changes happen to your body. This is known as adolescence. Everyone does not go through it at the same time. Changes take place for everyone at different times in life and each one of you will go through those changes for a different period of time. Some of you may feel or see the changes earlier than others. Some of you feel good about these changes and some of you don’t. Some start feeling proud to be older, while others may feel a bit awkward.

Don’t worry, it is natural to feel all of those feelings. There may be some of you whose bodies are really taking their time to change, so while your friends and peers have started to look and feel a little different, you seem to be lagging behind and find yourself being impatient about growing up. Even feeling that is natural, don’t fight it. Just try to be a bit patient. You will grow older, everyone does.

The best way to go about it is to relax and accept whatever changes are happening and also what is not happening with your body. Don’t expect your body to be perfect. Nobody is perfect. It’s good to accept and like the body and face that you have. It’s all yours, be kind to it and remember to appreciate what you have. Isn’t worrying about your nose being too fat or too sharp making you a bit vain? Whoever said beauty has to be just exactly this or precisely that?

There are so many beautiful and good-looking people, but they all look different from each other. So there is not one definition of beauty or good looks. Learn to appreciate your positive attributes. You might have a friendly face, which is a great tool for a career in sales and marketing. You might have a terrific smile which is not only a positive attribute for everyone, but particularly so for doctors and models. A doctor with a wonderful smile can make his patients feel better instantly.

Now start thinking of what you can do with your attributes. Can you run fast with your strong legs? Are you a good at sports with your strong arms? Is your pointy nose good at smelling? Your sense of smell may just be the special edge you might need as a competitive chef. Are you good at juggling stuff or dribbling the basketball? Or are you good at charming people? If you have a strong muscular body, you could be great at running races, or swimming faster than anyone else.

Are you thin and lightweight? If you are, then you are probably good at balancing and should opt for becoming a yoga teacher.

Each one of us is gifted with different attributes that we can use to shine in our community or our set of people who make up our world.

It is said that you are what you eat. So make sure you eat a healthy diet which will help you look and feel your best. Your daily intake should include lots of fruit and vegetables and just about everything your mum cooks or prepares for you. Which means, don’t skip the salad, eat those cucumbers, finish of all your spinach and keep fast food, ice cream and cakes only for weekends.

Just the way a healthy diet keeps your body working well, in the same way sleep is a must every night and no less than eight hours of it. So no snuggling with the phone, talking with or messaging your besties till late into the night. No sweating over homework late at night either. Your work and leisure should finish well in time for you to sleep at your designated bed time.

Your body needs plenty of sleep to look good and stay healthy. Sleep gives you the recharge in the same way that your mobile phone or laptop needs to go on snooze. It will recharge you to perform at your best level the next day.

Include some kind of physical activity in your daily routine. Be it a brisk walk, a run in the park, or a game of football. Put on your favourite music and jump around or dance for half an hour till you have got your heart beating fast and your pulse racing. It is important to be active every day. When you move your body, you exercise your muscles and joints and your body gets rid of toxins. The more active you are, the less lethargic and negative you will feel about everyday challenges.

Make sure that your face and body are clean and well-groomed. Taking a shower, especially if the weather is hot. Washing your hair, wearing nice, clean, stylish clothes make you feel good about yourself. Keep your nails trimmed and clean. There is nothing more unbearable than dirty nails and bad breath. A good dental care routine will give you beautiful teeth and fresh breathe which will only add to your confidence.

Look at yourself in the mirror after you are showered and groomed. Don’t you feel much better? Everyone has a target weight that depends on their body frame and age. Find that out from Google, your parents or family doctor and keep a watch on it. Being a healthy weight is good for you. It not only keeps you healthy but it also does a lot for you to feel good about yourself. What you wear will look great on you if you are your correct, healthy weight.

Stay away from fatty, sugary food, but don’t start going on a diet on your own. If you want to lose some weight, discuss it with your parents and with the help of your family doctor, your parents can put you on a diet, which will include all the healthy food that you need to eat to grow up well and in the right kind of shape.

If you’re still having doubts about your face or body and it is giving you some confidence issues, talk to your parents about how you feel. A discussion about how you feel will only help you. A lot can be done to improve your personal presentation.

Teeth imperfections can be corrected by wearing braces. If your spectacles are the cause of you not being able to participate in sports, your parents can buy you contact lenses after consulting an eye specialist, and skin complexion issues can be corrected by wearing sunblock every time you go out in the sun and keeping your skin clean and hydrated.

Lastly, remember that beauty is only skin deep. Who you are on the inside and what you do for people is far more important than your looks.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 3rd, 2020