With social media being more accessible than ever, many people are affected by the body standards we see. 

Personally, I have always struggled with my body image. I have never been overweight, but I also have never been what someone would consider skinny. This has obviously had an effect on how I have gone about life, including different diets and fads and wondering why I was never able to look the way I wanted. 

These standards affected everyone growing up, whether you were too thin or too bulky or any other critique we hear about our bodies. This has turned people against each other by creating unfair comparisons. These make us insecure and that is the main reason that people put others down: to feel better about themselves.

Once I realized that people I thought had it easy struggled too, I was able to let go of a lot of anger I had. We are all human and everyone is held to standards that they sometimes feel like they can’t meet. College students are especially subject to these standards. 

Before judging someone on their appearance, remind yourself that how they look is not their defining factor. What people wear to feel good about themselves should not be judged because it does not fit your personal taste. 

The idea of who is hot and who is not has been ingrained into our brains from an early age, but our society has come a long way in accepting different looks and shapes. Normalizing being healthy in how we eat, sleep and work would help our bodies tremendously rather than focusing on having a slimmest  waist or biggest triceps.

The best advice I can personally offer is to start making healthier choices. Try to eat three meals a day that meet nutrient requirements at set times. Try to exercise at least three days a week for 20 to 30 minutes each time. Most people fall off the wagon of healthiness because they throw themselves directly into the deep end and get frustrated when they do not get instant results. 

Being healthy is letting your body get back into the good habits slowly and letting it adjust. The best way for long term results that will give you more energy and keep your body going is to build healthy habits into your routine. 

It is not about your weight or where your body fat distributes, it is about keeping your internal organs running smoothly and keeping your mind in a good place. Working out and eating healthy has the good side effect of looking better, but it should be because you have taken care of yourself in a safe way and kept up with your mental health.

Body dysmorphia has a very real hold on how we live our lives. When you shift your goals from looking good to taking care of yourself, it is easier to make great progress. A healthy body and mind and confidence is more attractive than torturing yourself to look a certain way. 

Creating a good relationship with food, sleep and your body will give you long term results that will lead to a long life, not just results that are easy to lose once you break a diet.