It's very easy to feel insecure about our weight, height, and our appearance especially now in a very digital age. There are so many people and brands telling us what looks good on us and what does not. Now that I'm older, the more I realize that how I think of myself is more important than how others think of me. I'm beautiful and so are you. We're perfectly imperfect, fearfully, and wonderfully made. Sometimes when I look at the mirror and don't feel good about how I look, I try to remember my past experiences and the people in my life that made me what I look like today.

I may have chubby cheeks and a double chin instead of a perfect-shaped jawline and cheekbones, and that's okay. They show the smile and dimples I got from my parents. I may not have a flat stomach and abs that many people dream of having, but I should remember that this stomach and belly rolls have allowed me to eat all of the delicious food in the world especially the food cooked by my mom and my grandmother. I may have flabby arms that don't meet the media's standards, but I am proud of what these arms have done. They not only helped me get through my PE classes in school or write my papers in college. These arms allow me to play with my nieces and nephews, help my family do chores at home, swim all I want under the sun, and tightly hug my loved ones to feel their love and warmth. I may not fit into my old jeans anymore because of my bigger thighs, but that doesn't really matter anymore. I can always buy a new pair of bigger and comfier jeans. What matters is I feel good about how my legs helped me go trekking on school field trips, join sports days in school, and go sightseeing with my family to so many places, whether it's a normal weekend or a vacation abroad.

If ever you're having one of those bad days when you can't look at yourself in the mirror, then don't.

Focusing on how we look will just keep us discontent and ungrateful. Instead, spend time with your loved ones, go for a swim at the beach, read a fictional book that will take you to different places, paint or draw the prettiest landscape you've seen, sing and dance to your favorite song, wear comfy clothes, unfollow people on social media who make you feel bad about you, and visit a park to connect with nature. There are many other better things to do than looking at ourselves in the mirror.

Several years from now, we'll get older and our appearances will change, so let's develop what's inside. Our hearts, minds, attitudes, and our relationships with people are what truly matter. At the end of the day, it's who we are inside that counts.