Anorexic's Advice

If you're here - it's our guess that you have low self-esteem and very little confidence.

The most beautiful and attractive people are those who exude confidence - who know what's good about them and who don't put themselves down unnecessarily. People who have confidence are not arrogant - they just know themselves well.

Having confidence and good self-esteem has many benefits - you tend to be happier, you have better health, you're more attractive to others, and you're more successful.

Boosting you self-esteem:

Write down the answers to each of these, and keep them to read when you're feeling low:

• What are the best things about your appearance?
• What are your best personality traits? Are you friendly, caring, thoughtful..?
• Have you got any particular talents or things you're good at? (If you can't think of any, chances are you haven't discovered them yet - everyone has a special talent, it just takes some people longer than others to find it)
• What do other people like about you?
• What was your most recent compliment?
• What is something you have done which you are proud of?
• Is it worth it hating yourself?

Do you hate yourself? If you do, think about why you hate yourself - is it logical? Where did your ideas about yourself come from? If your ideas about yourself are based upon what others have said - are they a reliable source - are you sure they weren't trying to hurt you or influence your behaviour? It is all too easy to adopt feelings about oneself from the comments of others, especially those who are nasty. Also, when you experience feelings of self-hatred, are they really aimed at yourself? Are you sure they aren't aimed at your appearance rather at you?