Every year people find new things to obsess about that can take a toll on your mind, body and overall spirit. Being a college student at the University of Arizona I have seen too many young men and women suffer due to body image issues or image issues in general.

At most college campuses there is too much emphasis placed on looks when there are many more important things to be concerned with. It is important that year round we focus on our academics, our relationships, staying healthy, and making sure we are fulfilled and truly happy. Social media, among other things, can create pressure to look a certain way or have a certain “lifestyle” that is simply unattainable because it is not real.

For example, the photos I post on Instagram usually show me at my happiest, I am usually with my friends doing something fun. I am not usually posting pictures of me sobbing after watching High School Musical alone in my bed, in my sweatpants eating a whole box of Oreos in one sitting, or an actual photo of myself after I just woke up #weknowyoudidn’twakeuplikethat.

There is obviously nothing wrong with posting pictures of yourself that you are proud of, it is just important to remember that your self-image has nothing to do with your social media likes and everything to do with your confidence and ability to be self-fulfilled without worrying about anyone else. Here are a few tips to remain body, mind, and all around positive this spring break season, festival season, and all year round:

Wear what you want to wear

I cannot stress this strongly enough! I know everyone is very concerned with being trendy, looking sexy, and all that jazz, but when it comes down to it wear whatever you are comfortable and confident in. If you cant walk in heals, don’t feel pressure to wear them. If you think you didn’t go to the gym enough this week stop worrying about what everyone else will think and wear that crop top (you’ll look beautiful in it no matter what)!

Please don’t let your subconscious convince you that you are too fat, too ugly, too skinny, too chesty, too flat, too *anything. At the end of the day the sexiest thing you can be is confident so wear what you want to wear and don’t worry about what anyone else will think!

Don’t delete pictures of yourself that you think are ugly

Chances are you have deleted too many photos to count off of your phone and other people’s phones because you didn’t like a picture of yourself for whatever reason. The truth is that you probably are the only person who thinks you look ugly and you don’t want to look back on your college career and only have “perfect” pictures of yourself.

You want to have those goofy memories, those “what was I wearing” memories, those “aw we were having so much fun” memories…Don’t let the little things stop you from having a good time and from remembering those good times. Live your life without a gosh-darn filter and enjoy the good, the bad and the ugly!

Do it for yourself not anyone else

So many people develop unhealthy habits like fad dieting, binge exercise, liquid cleanses, misuse of laxatives, among many other things that can easily develop into an obsession or make you very ill (both mentally and physically). Everyone wants to look and feel their best, but the unhealthy habits listed above will hurt you more than they will help you.

For starters, do not, do not, do not, under eat or starve yourself to lose weight. Your body will cling to every once of fat it can to literally save your life. The best thing you can do to look and feel your best is to find exercises you enjoy like yoga classes, hiking, running with friends, among many other things. Incorporate those workouts with a balanced meal regimen that is not monotonous and boring. Remember to eat enough to burn off later and get that protein in as well! If you are doing and feeling your best everything else will fall into place! Don’t attempt to look a certain way for a boy/girl or for anyone but yourself.

Stop comparing yourself

You are you! And that is something you should be proud of! With social media, magazines, celebrities, and so many influences showing you what you “should” or “could” look like it is hard to not compare ourselves to others. The truth is that we all have different bodies, different metabolisms, and different hormones. None of us are going to look the same, which is a beautiful thing! With that being said no “diet” or “workout” will change our bodies in the same way as well. That is why we all need to find what works best for ourselves to be happy and healthy.

Learn to cook

It does not matter how old you are, cooking will help you learn to prepare, appreciate, and love the food you put into your body. I am a complete foodie and love cooking for others and myself. Counting calories is a miserable way to live your life (no offense if that works for you I just simply cannot live that way). Cooking for yourself allows you to control the portions, amounts of things like salt and sugar, use healthy alternatives, and try new things!

Also, when cooking I find it much easier to make a balanced meal. For example, if I am making pasta the first thing that comes to mind is what veggies I am going to make with it. If you order something at a restaurant that does not come with veggies you usually don’t notice/care. This is a great way to experiment with new foods and figure out what makes your body feel its best!

Love yourself every day of the week

Our bodies will fluctuate naturally over our lifetimes, over a month, year, day, week, you name it, and our bodies are constantly changing. It is exhausting to love yourself and then hate yourself an hour later after having that second hamburger. It is best to embrace what you look like and who you are at all times and be constantly working towards a goal.

That does not mean that you do not love yourself until the goal is achieved, it simply means you always love yourself but understand that things are constantly changing and setting healthy goals for yourself will keep you motivated and happy.