My thoughts have been so negative lately.  "Fat & Ugly" are common words I hear when I look in the mirror.  And maybe when I lose weight, have a full set of lashes, filled in brows, and thick hair... maybe then I'll look in the mirror and hear "Skinny & Beautiful."  BUT... I have been skinnier, I have had more hair and the voices were still there.  So it's not my body that needs to change, but it's the voices.  My self-esteem is low.  I know it.  It's low for most people with trich.  And I really really need to work on it cause I feel miserable.  

From Mayo Clinic, "...your own thoughts have perhaps the biggest impact on self-esteem — and these thoughts are within your control. If you tend to focus on your weaknesses or flaws, you can learn to re-frame negative thoughts and focus instead on your positive qualities"  Mayo Clinic also shared, "Self-esteem affects virtually every facet of your life. Maintaining a healthy, realistic view of yourself isn't about blowing your own horn. It's about learning to like and respect yourself — faults and all."  If you're like me, maybe you'd benefit from reading Mayo Clinic's Self Esteem: 4 Steps to Feel Better About Yourself.  I think the step that stood out to me the most is Step 3: Challenge Negative or Inaccurate Thinking.  Like the article stated, I need to "now replace negative or inaccurate thoughts with accurate, constructive thoughts."  Okay, how do I do that? How do I magically get rid of those negative voices and start creating a healthy self-esteem.  Like Paul in II Corinthians 10:5, I need to take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.  I like how one translation puts it, "We are taking prisoners of every thought, every emotion, and subduing them into obedience to the Anointed One."  So what should I think about?  Paul says to "fill your minds with beauty and truth. Meditate on whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is good, whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy."  Such wisdom!