"To Thine Own Self Be True..."

Wow, I was reading an article today and I was amazed at how much people don't like themselves. The article was about the suicide rates of people who suffer from BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder). When did we become so vain and self-involved that we don't like ourselves enough to take our own lives? I loved Sister Susan W. Tanner's words in the October 2005 General Conference:

"[Satan's]... punishment is that he does not have [a body]. Therefore he tries to do everything he can to get us to abuse or misuse this precious gift. He has filled the world with lies and deceptions about the body. He tempts many to defile this great gift of the body through unchastity, immodesty, self-indulgence, and addictions. He seduces some to despise their bodies; others he tempts to worship their bodies. In either case, he entices the world to regard the body merely as an object. In the face of so many satanic falsehoods about the body, I want to raise my voice today in support of the sanctity of the body. I testify that the body is a gift to be treated with gratitude and respect."

What a beautiful statement! How do we get over ourselves and our problems? Service! I truly believe this. I also utterly believe that no matter how bad it may seem for you, there is always someone who is worse off. Forget yourself and look at others. I loved Sister Tanner's advice on service:

"I remember well the insecurities I felt as a teenager with a bad case of acne. I tried to care for my skin properly. My parents helped me get medical attention. For years I even went without eating chocolate and all the greasy fast foods around which teens often socialize, but with no obvious healing consequences. It was difficult for me at that time to fully appreciate this body
which was giving me so much grief. But my good mother taught me a higher law. Over and over she said to me, 'You must do everything you can to make your appearance pleasing, but the minute you walk out the door, forget yourself and start concentrating on others.'
There it was. She was teaching me the Christlike principle of selflessness. Charity, or the pure love of Christ, 'envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own' (Moroni 7:45). When we become other-oriented, or selfless, we develop an inner beauty of spirit that glows in our outward appearance. This is how we make ourselves in the Lord's image rather than the world's and receive His image in our countenances."

I personally like who I am and I hope that we can all accept who were are. Forget yourself. I think it is worth repeating: no matter how bad it may seem for you, there is always someone who has it worse than you. Think about it.