Andrea started struggling with her body when she compared her size to her then-boyfriend, who was really skinny. “I thought that I would look better if I was as skinny as him, thus I started under-eating and over-exercising to achieve the size that I want,” said the 28-year-old raw food chef.
“It didn’t help that I grew up having low self-esteem and thought that I had to do something to earn the approval of others, such as getting good grades to please my parents.”
This was fueled by the constant comparison with others, especially on social media.
“It sent me into a deep dark hole of being unhappy with how I look. Having abs, a thigh gap and slim legs like the influencers were traits that I thought would make me happy but they didn’t, ultimately.”
“The short-term satisfaction wasn’t enough. After achieving my body goals, I was still unhappy with how I looked and even wanted to look leaner! It was insane.”
At Andrea’s lowest point, she suffered from eating disorders like anorexia and orthorexia, and even lost her period. “I was in denial when everyone said I was really skinny. I thought I still had weight to lose and wasn’t happy with how I looked. I also had negative thoughts like, I’d rather leave this world than to gain weight.”
Over the last 20 years, Andrea was so caught up about other people’s opinions of her. Her turnaround point came when she was trying to get her period and health back as her calcium levels were really low (almost osteopenic) because she was so malnourished.
In recent years, she started embracing her own body and has learnt to love herself enough to know that even though you cannot change other people’s opinions, you can control your thoughts and change your mindset and how to respond to them – either in a constructive manner or simply ignoring them.
“People will always find something to comment about, so just live your own life! Aim to be the best version of yourself and take charge of your own happiness.”
*This is a collaboration between Rock The Naked Truth and Our Bralette Club.
