{"id":979,"date":"2013-08-13T10:46:05","date_gmt":"2013-08-13T14:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/scnc\/?p=979"},"modified":"2015-03-13T10:55:01","modified_gmt":"2015-03-13T14:55:01","slug":"b-e-a-you-tiful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/scnc\/2013\/08\/13\/b-e-a-you-tiful\/","title":{"rendered":"B-e-a-YOU-tiful"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ellie Schulman, Film and Television student, College of Communication <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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I came across the video above the other day and adamantly believe the subject is worthy of a blog post. Make sure you watch it before you keep reading so you can keep up with my thoughts. Go on, I\u2019ll wait\u2026<\/p>\n

Are you back now? Good.<\/p>\n

There are so many things about this Dove <\/a>ad that I love, like the fact that Dove even produced it in the first place, but the content of the ad itself was what really struck me (surprise, surprise, an advertisement that succeeded in its goal). These people described themselves less accurately than a stranger described them, because, as so many people are, they are more critical of themselves than of others.<\/p>\n

STOP, I know what you\u2019re doing! Don\u2019t you click out of this tab after reading that line because you think I\u2019m about to get all \u201clove yourself for who you aaaarrreeee\u201d on you. I promise I\u2019ll try to be as honest and sarcastic as I am in person. It\u2019s just that I understand that it\u2019s hard for us to love ourselves completely, even when we do know our good qualities.
\nThe funny thing is, it wasn\u2019t until writing this that I realized why it\u2019s so difficult to focus only on our good qualities. It\u2019s because having \u201cgood qualities\u201d automatically means there are \u201cbad qualities\u201d too, right?<\/p>\n

Well\u2026yeah. Nobody is perfect. And that\u2019s my exact point.<\/p>\n

Take your best friend, for instance. He or she is your best friend for a reason, right? You guys get along fabulously. You\u2019d probably say something like this to describe them: \u201cWe make fun of the same movies, have the same favorite coffee shop, and can both easily watch five hours straight of The Vampire Diaries<\/em>. And she has a pool in her backyard, WAHOO! But dang, she does this one really weird thing\u2026she takes her laptop into the bathroom with her\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Okay maybe that\u2019s not exactly what your best friend is like, but whatever.<\/p>\n

The point is this: we love our best friends to the moon and back even though they are flawed, so why do we have so much trouble loving ourselves the same way?<\/p>\n

Sure we have bad qualities! I\u2019ve got tons! Ask any of my ex-boyfriends! But here\u2019s the kicker: the reason we should find the things about ourselves that we love is because those qualities hold more weight than the negative ones.<\/p>\n

If we focus on something positive, then we might begin to realize, however slowly, that our lives are actually pretty good. Or we\u2019ll get so distracted enjoying the good things that we simply don\u2019t have time to worry about the bad things anymore. Or, my favorite, we\u2019ll realize we have the potential to make our life better because we are strong.
\nIt\u2019s not terrible for us to dislike certain things about ourselves. But it isn\u2019t helpful if we get so hung up on trying to change those things that we start treating ourselves poorly.<\/p>\n

Now imagine me saying this next line in the calm whisper of a Buddhist Monk: \u201cYour body\u2026is a temple.\u201d
\nAnd don\u2019t forget, so is your mind!<\/p>\n

Treat yourself well. Don\u2019t beat yourself up mentally if you did poorly on a test. Remember that you are a survivor by nature. Take a deep breath and a step back. Muster all the patience and optimism you never thought you had in you. Things will get better.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve reached the point in the article where some of you are feeling inspired, some of you think I\u2019m full of it, and some of you probably stopped reading a while ago. (Congratulations if you made it this far, you\u2019re making me proud!)<\/p>\n

I\u2019m now speaking directly to those of you who think I\u2019m full of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Ellie,\u201d you think, \u201cthis all sounds great in theory, but it\u2019s so much harder in practice, don\u2019t you know?! Your advice is awful!\u201d<\/p>\n

HOW DARE YOU! No I\u2019m just kidding. Let me take a moment to be serious, because I think it\u2019s important.<\/p>\n

If you find yourself having a more difficult time than feels reasonable, I encourage you to talk to someone about it. Start simple: open up to a friend. Once you\u2019re ready, don\u2019t be afraid to seek the assistance of a professional\u2014if anything, that makes you exceptionally brave. Please consider this seriously and don\u2019t brush it off.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve got things to do so let me wrap up by putting this whole article very simply: you are the best friend of your best friend\u2014he or she looks at you the same way you look at them. Try to think of yourself from their viewpoint and you\u2019ll start to see wonderful things about yourself, both physically and personality wise.<\/p>\n

You are all beautiful.<\/p>\n

Here are a couple of BU resources if you\u2019d like someone to talk to:<\/em>
\nStudent Health Services <\/a>
\nSCNC<\/a>
\nAnd some inspiration: Students Speak <\/a><\/p>\n

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Disclaimer:<\/i><\/a> The Sargent Choice blog includes links to other websites only as information to consumers, not as medical advice. When you access an external website, keep in mind that Sargent Choice has no control over its content.\u00a0 Sargent Choice is not responsible for the content found at any of the sites, nor do any links imply endorsement or promotion of the company\/organization, its content, services, therapeutic treatment options, or products. Accordingly, you visit any site at your own risk.\u00a0 Sargent Choice is also not responsible for the policies and practices of these sites, such as their Privacy Policy, use of \u201ccookies\u201d, etc. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of each site that you visit through a link on our website<\/i><\/p>\n

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