We were taking pictures. It was a fun night. But with most fun nights where I was hanging out with friends the anxiety was intense. I look at this picture and I see it. That fraction of a second right before the big smile that says “life is good and I am good”. Except I…
Zumba class used to be my happy place. Several times a week I would walk into this class and I’d forget about all the hard things in my life. Fun music, people sweating and laughing. We literally looked like we had taken a group shower when we were done. It felt so good. The instructor…
I don’t remember the first time I thought, “man I wish I could be more…”. More classy, more beautiful, more funny, more smart, more stable, more serious. I’ve lost count of how often I wished I was less messy, less emotional, less sad, less weak, less random, less awkward. Seems I’m constantly wishing I had…
I felt for so long I was worthless. That nobody would love someone “like me”. When I say “like me” I mean someone with low self-confidence, emotional instability, overweight, and constantly comparing myself to others. But once I got all the emotionally challenging parts of my life behind me I started to realize I actually…
Please welcome Alisa Schindler to #BeReal. It’s taken decades for me to really figure out what it means to be real, not because I was trying not to be, but because I didn’t know how. I spent a long time insecure and concerned with others’ perception of me. I spent a long time uncomfortable with…
So many of us have an unclear perspective of ourselves. We can’t see what other people see. Why? Well… We all see things differently. For every 10 people who find me unattractive another 10 will find me average and yet another 10 will find me beautiful. I think the trick is to practice selective listening.…
My #BeReal guest today is Amanda Hall. My name is Amanda Hall, I just turned twenty-eight and I’m just now learning who the real me is and how to accept myself for who I am and to not let other people’s opinions of me stand in my way. I am by no means a writer,…
Welcome to the #BeReal series! I want to showcase real people. You will judge them. That’s okay. And it will be natural for you to do that. To read all the #BeReal posts to date you can click HERE. I put together this series because teens everywhere are jumping on this #DontJudgeMe bandwagon. Well, I think the…
My #BeReal guest today is Allison Hill. It has taken me the better part of forty two years to understand what it means to actually be real. It’s not about what you actually show on the outside. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a part of it. What you show to the world is what they…
My #BeReal guest today is Diana Gordon. I’ve been asked “are they real” more times than I can count—and not just about a sparkly piece of jewelry or pieces of vintage Fiestaware, but about the curls in my hair and the breasts that have always been large-for-my-size. The same question… As though somehow my accessories…
