Growing up, I was always the tallest in my friend group until about the eighth grade. This was expected because of the fact that I came from a tall family. I was insecure for all of intermediate and middle school because of my height. If I could go back, I would tell my younger self that what you look like does not matter.

I always felt like I was the odd one out when I was with my friends. I felt out of place and awkward for being the tallest one when all my friends were a foot shorter than me. I was never truly comfortable with my body until two years ago when all my peers started to grow.

For a while, it seemed as if all eyes were on me. I despised walking down the halls at school because I thought everyone was talking about how tall I was. Truth is, they were too busy caught up in their own world to worry about me. After I stopped growing, I was so concerned about staying the same height that this mindset consumed me. It goes to show that you will never be happy no matter what cards you’re dealt. You will always want what you cannot have.

I wish I did not waste so many years caught up in my appearance. It prevented me from experiencing the self love we all deserve. What you look like won’t change someone’s perspective of you, so why is it that we are so degrading to ourselves? If you would not judge someone for what they look like, why wouldn’t others do the same for you?

Now that I am older, I am comfortable with who I am. It took years to realize my self worth and to learn to be okay with what I look like. It is so easy to get wrapped up in thinking, it can be hard to remember it’s all in your head.