This is a thread about the link between anxiety and self image, or rather my method for bringing the two together.
Let'S face it. I am not your classically attractive sort by any means. I am not quite 5 ft tall, overweight, crazy coarse (now thinning) red hair, one eye is slightly smaller than the other and my nose is crooked. I have a big head, bad skin... and of course occasionally I have a brilliant copper Yosemite Sam mustache.
Lemee start with this "I am not self hating".

My journey into liking me, mustache and all, started with self loathing. I felt like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, some sewer mutant hiding from the outside world. My idea was that if I was offended by what I saw in the mirror then everyone else was equally offended.

Wrong.

People, by nature are relatively self centric. When you go out, someone that isn't in directly talking to you or about you is only going to give you made 15 seconds of consideration before returning to their own thoughts and agendas. As long as you aren't out there clucking like a chicken, or the like you are largely overlooked. A depressing thought but still better than feeling like everyone'S eyes are boring into you right? Next time you go grocery shopping watch people'S eyes, count the seconds they make eye contact with you before going off into choosing soup or whatever.

The best friend you will ever have is yourself. You're stuck with you from birth to death. You might as well make nice. I like me these days. We have some pretty good conversations.

One of the greatest quips of wisdom my mother has ever told me was (excuse the launguage) "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke." I was six, crying about being bullied at school and her response was lost me back then. I kinda understand it noW. You van't change other people, now can you change their acceptance of you. You can, however, change how you perceive others, yourself, and the world around you.

You're awesome, whoever you are. I know this because you are you. No matter what you are, where you come from, the life you've led, you are pretty damned neat.

I would write more but I am lazy, and reading is for chumps.