I Found Self-Confidence After Realizing I Had Gotten Used To Body Insecurity

For as long as I can remember I've played sports. You name a sport, I've probably played it: volleyball, basketball, softball, soccer and even lacrosse. Even though this made my social life practically nonexistent, it forced me to exercise every single day.

Even with the constant physical activity, I struggled with body insecurity. I was never a size 0, got branded with the “Big Booty *insert name here*” nickname and watched all my friends eat whatever they wanted, while I was constantly cutting carbs.

The craziest thing is, looking back on it, my body was great. I was fit and had a nice ass (yeah I said it), so what was I worried about? I was so worried about not being a tiny, fragile girl that I literally couldn't get over the size of my pants in comparison to theirs.

No matter what size I am, the way I look at myself is never favorable.

No matter what size I am, the way I look at myself is never favorable.

Years, or months later, I'll see a picture of myself and admire how great I looked. However, in that moment all I could focus on was the negatives. I've never felt content with my body, no matter what the scale said.

Today, girls are always being judged, and compared to each other. That's just the truth. Are your boobs or ass the right size? Is your waist tiny enough? Are you the perfect height? It becomes a continuous circle of always working on “improving” something -- whether it's paying for the improvement or doing it yourself.

Skinny girls are insecure about not having thick thighs and a big butt, while other girls are worried about cellulite and wanting a thigh gap. Everyone is so quick to point out qualities they don't like about themselves instead of focusing on everything they do like.

We look in the mirror and can't look past the things we want to change.

We look in the mirror and can't look past the things we want to change enough to see everything else.

We compare our bodies to everyone, never taking a second to realize that everybody isn't made to be the same. Instead of embracing diversity in body size and appreciating being healthy, we just want everything to be "perfect."

We have society wanting lip injections like Kylie Jenner, contouring our breasts to look bigger and starting dangerous crash diets to lose unwanted weight.

Plastic surgery is skyrocketing and girls are over-editing their pictures because they want everyone to see them a certain way.

Healthy looks different on every single one of us, and I think accepting that is the first step to dealing with body insecurities.

I struggle to remind myself of this every time I see another girl who I think looks better than me. Sometimes, you need to remember, that girl is probably just as insecure about some part of her body.

We're the biggest critics of our bodies, and it takes a toll on every aspect of our lives. Embrace your body, look past your insecurities and take a second to appreciate the way you look.

If you're not happy with where you are, there's nothing wrong with that. Working hard and being healthy, are big parts of life, but obsessing over what doesn't need to be changed, or taking drastic measures to get there, isn't the right way to go about it.

If you're happy with your body, own it.

Forget what everyone is saying "perfect" is. If you're happy with your body, own it.

The truth is, there's no "perfect" look. Show 10 people a picture of the girl you think is flawless and I promise you one of them will find something wrong. Focus on who you're made to be and be it with confidence.