I love when the weather starts getting warmer! This past winter was seriously never ending and part of me still isn’t convinced that this warm weather is going to stick around. Last week we had a lovely 80-degree day that caused me to break out a pair of shorts for the first time this year.

I was pretty excited when I pulled them out from underneath my winter clothes. A cute pair of high-waisted shorts with a few rips in them. Paired with one of my favorite band t-shirts and I was ready to go. I was dancing around my apartment because I was definitely feeling the summer vibes.

However, thanks to years of being self-conscious about my body, shorts season is not easy for me.

I’ve tried different kinds of shorts, but that hasn’t seemed to matter much. Even in athletic shorts, I get super self-conscious about what my legs look like. More often than not I just end up wearing jeans, capris, or leggings. Which is easier said than done when it’s 85 degrees outside.

As we enter spring/summer months I think it’s super important to talk about being comfortable with our bodies and understanding that everyone has body image issues!

The number on the scale doesn’t determine who is confident in their body and who isn’t.

I was about halfway down my street on my way to the train when my self-conscious mindset started to set in and I stopped enjoying the warm weather and started focusing on what everyone else walking up and down this street was thinking about me in these shorts. Chances are nobody that passed me even noticed my shorts or cared, but in my head, everyone was judging me.

And don’t even get me started on what I thought about my thighs when I sat down.

My shorts are a size 2 and that has always given me the mindset that I’m not allowed to admit that I don’t like my body.

Just like the number on a scale doesn’t determine confidence, neither does jean size. I don’t say that I’m self-conscious often because I get the “omg stop” response every time.

The warm weather is here and I am so excited about it, but so many people out there (myself included) are anxious about showing parts of their body that they didn’t have to show in the winter.

I’m working on my body image issues. Accepting the size of my thighs. Accepting the bumps on my skin and other imperfections. Unfortunately, it will be something I have to work on for a while. Entering shorts season has filled me with a lot of anxiety, but I’m going to try my hardest to walk around confidently.

Let’s spread the positive vibes this summer 2018. Let’s compliment strangers and let’s compliment ourselves. And for the love of all things good in this world, can we please stop telling people with certain body types that they aren’t allowed to be self-conscious?