Body image issues freakin' suck.

They take what could be your joyful and carefree attitude and turn you into a

self-conscious,

body-obsessed,

judgment-fearing butterball of anxiety.

Exciting adventures like

vacations,
beach trips,
poolside hangouts,
any night out that begs for you to squeeze your temple into some tight pants or a dress (or anything other than sweatpants),

become

stress-provoking and unfun,

and make you, albeit unintentionally,

a considerable pain in the rear-end of those who just want to enjoy themselves and who want to ENJOY YOU;

like your

kids,

husband,

friends,

and family,

who, when they look at you, see nothing but the one they love.

So, as you're scrolling through the pics on your phone

-- tonight, tomorrow or the next day --

and you come across a photo of yourself that surely won't win you any awards in the perfection department,

remember that you have two options:

You can either

1) sit there and pick into a million cellulite-coated pieces the picture of yourself while lamenting it and how you look and then beat yourself up for being on the tail-end of devouring pizza and wings with the fam

OR

2) say "f-it," "yolo," and decide that while keeping a healthy balance is undoubtedly important, it's not nearly as essential as living a life where appearance isn't everything, and, in fact, is a tiny thing.

Body image issues freakin' suck, but you don't.

You have them, and that's okay, you just have work on them because they shouldn't ever be allowed to define you or hold you back.