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" Dear Jess, I have extremely low self-esteem and virtually no confidence. Can you give me some pointers? Sometimes I feel like there are things I let take over my life. I don&amp;#039;t know how to gain the confidence that I need to be a strong, independent, and happy young woman. I have let this problem go on so long that I developed an eating disorder three years ago. I&amp;#039;ve been trying to deal with it, but most days it&amp;#039;s really hard. I&amp;#039;m just not sure who to talk to or how to gain more confidence and be comfortable in my own skin. Please help me. I don&amp;#039;t want to continue on the path I&amp;#039;m on because I know it&amp;#039;s unhealthy. Nikki Dear Nikki, It is a slow process to re-discover and develop your self-confidence, but you can do it. I know you can. I really think the most important thing you wrote in your email was that &amp;quot;you don&amp;#039;t want to continue on the path you&amp;#039;re on beause you know it&amp;#039;s unhealthy.&amp;quot; You are right \u2014 being healthy is so important. And not just having a healthy body, but having a healthy mind, too! And since you are recovering from an eating disorder, you have to monitor that behavior and make sure you are continuing with a support team \u2014 either with your family or other health care providers who are there for you and understand what you have been through. While focusing on being a &amp;quot;strong, independent, and happy young woman sounds amazing, it may be hard to know where to start. Instead, start with the small stuff! Take things one step at a time. (For instance, &amp;quot;I went the whole day without trying to diet&amp;quot; ot &amp;quot;I went 10 hours without calling myself &amp;#039;ugly&amp;#039; or thinking a bad thought about my appearance.&amp;quot;) Acheiving small goals are a great reason to celebrate! When you rack up those smaller experiences, they will continue to grow and expand on the road to health, and help you with that self-confidence you are seeking. That confidence comes when we take action. And small steps of action are a great way to start. In fact, writing this email was a superb step of action and I know you are on your way to a lfe of recovery and health. Keep going, one small step at a time! Blessings, Jess "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/health/q-and-a/a26947/being-a-strong-indepdendent-woman/>