Maybe you don't need much to be beautiful. Maybe you just need to be yourself.
Victoria Parada, in addition to being a nutritionist, is a psychology student. In her work, she believes that nutrition and self-care do not have to be separate from self-knowledge and self-esteem.
More than following standards, it's about understanding who you are, recognizing your own story, and discovering what makes up your true personality. Self-care can — and should — go hand in hand with your essence.
This means, for example, seeking a diet that takes care of your body without constantly trying to mold it to fit a certain standard.
We live in a society deeply driven by aesthetics — and it would be naive to say that this doesn't influence how we see ourselves.
For many people, building self-esteem is a long journey of deconstruction. And often, a painful journey.
We learn to interpret rejection as a reflection of our own worth.
If someone doesn't choose us, we think we're not good enough.
If a company doesn't hire us, we believe we lack something.
If someone doesn't reciprocate our feelings, we question what's wrong with us.
But perhaps there is an important difference between not being chosen and being worthless.
Victoria explains that we often confuse others' opinions with who we are.
Maybe you're just not that person's type.
Maybe you don't have the profile that company is looking for.
Maybe a certain relationship wasn't meant for you.
And that doesn't diminish who you are.
In fact, the very aspects that make someone not choose you might be exactly what makes another person see your worth.
You are free to go on a diet, use weight loss medications like Ozempic or Mounjaro, or undergo cosmetic procedures. Self-care should not be a space for judgment.
But perhaps it's worth asking a question first:
Am I doing this because I want to take care of myself — or because I believe I need to change to be accepted?
There's a huge difference between wanting to change something about yourself and believing you need to change to deserve something.
In Alice in Wonderland, Alice needs to shrink to fit into certain places.
And perhaps this is one of the most interesting metaphors for thinking about self-esteem.
How many times have you tried to diminish who you are to fit into someone's world?
You diminished your personality.
You hid your opinions.
You changed your body.
You silenced your desires.
You tried to be less to not bother anyone.
But there's an even more important question:
And how many people around you are willing to enter your world?
Maybe self-esteem isn't about believing you're perfect.
Maybe it's about stopping believing you need to be different to deserve to be where you want to be.
You don't need to shrink to fit.