Identity Theft...

Isn’t it amazing how many things we allow to shape and take hold of our identity? A huge thing I’ve noticed is I have a tendency of giving too much time and thought to my appearance. Now that could include how I look at my body, what others think of me, what I am wearing, or one of the top things I struggle with, acne. We give so much power to our physical self sometimes that we aren’t even aware of the weight that it puts on us. It is most likely different from person to person and some may have more things that are hungry for power pulling away at them. Mirrors can tend to be a provoker, but then adding the world of social media to the mix brings a whole new ball game.

It’s Everyone

We all have something that we struggle with at some time or another. I admire those who can act confident, but I also admire those who share and show their insecurities. We all struggle and there are so many insecurities that we allow to affect how we view ourselves, our lives, and our mental health. Life can sometimes feel as though all our time and energy is spent on trying to correct things about ourselves or our lives. It can consume us. It can strip us from being comfortable or confident. And given enough power, it can cripple the need or desire to socialize with others, even our friends. But, beyond that, our insecurities can cause us to feel a heavy blanket of stress that takes over when leaving the house. These things that we attach ourselves to steal valuable room in our minds that leaves us feeling as though our identity has been compromised. Besides, who is setting the standards when we are all uniquely individual and are all working on different aspects of ourselves?

History

A thief of mine that I find I struggle with often is as simple as acne. When I was around the age of fourteen I thought I was blessed to not be touched by the cursed hand that is acne, but I was soon shown I was very wrong. There are many different forms of acne and although to me it was bad, others have it much much worse and wear it with grace and beauty. However, I have struggled with acne dictating my identity and value for years. In high school, I would wear concealer over my breakouts every day until one day I learned that it could be causing my skin to lash out against the product making the issue even worse. I also decided that when worn confidently, the only one to truly notice my breakouts was myself. So with that in mind, I wore my bare skin out, I acted as if the acne wasn’t there. As years passed and different face washes and toners were used, my face went through a journey of fine, better, and worse. A humbling and changeling experience to act as though it is not there. For a time I was good at the act. In college, I found out that constantly touching my face and leaning on my hands had negative effects on my skin, so I tried my best to eliminate contact, however, when one breakout would arise and I would do my best to try and “fix” it, a crazy cycle would commence and my face would explode. I finally found a natural face wash from a health food store and I have been using it for years now and love it. I then use a toner from Amazon and it works wonders. I used to only use a face lotion mix that my mom would create using an all-natural lotion mixed with an array of helpful oils and essential oils, but recently I have switched to using Dime’s face lotion and adding their Vitamin C and Hyaluronic acid serums to the routine. I have also been known to add lavender essential oil directly onto my breakouts, occasionally mixing it in with my lotion. Not the best for the skin, but lavender heels, as does tea tree. I would describe my skin as dry yet on occasion oily, which makes switching and finding new products a grand ole time. Beyond doing my best to eliminate contact with my face and perfecting the skin care regimen I began to notice that dairy was causing negative side effects. I cut it out and noticed a significant change, but the battle wasn’t over. I had one year of clear skin and I couldn’t have been more excited. Now age, climate, diet, and emotions can all be reasons for breakouts. I am older, I live in a state where I receive lots of vitamin D, I have access to the ocean which works wonders on blemishes, and it’s a humid state. I updated my diet, and my emotions are consistently being worked on. But, after my vacation from imperfect skin and thinking I was out of the woods… the acne arose yet again. With some investigation, I learned this time, the cause was hormonal.

A Thief

Hormones aren’t something that one can buy a new face wash for and see results, it is a process of trial and error. It is a whole world of things to learn and try. I tried a few things and I still haven’t been able to correct what went astray. However, beyond trying to solve the actual problem, I have been reminding myself that acne doesn’t define a person. We all have things we struggle with, it just depends on if we rule over our thief or if we allow the thief to rob us of our identity. Walking around talking about it, trying to cover it, or hiding it won't make it go away. It causes us to constantly think and dread that one thing until it consumes our thoughts. And once it is there, we feel that that is all anyone around us is thinking about. It feels as though it is stealing our identity and causing us to want to hide, always feeling anxiety when we need to leave the house. It taps into our emotions and, if we let it, has the power to rule our thoughts. There are endless things that we struggle with, for me acne can feel like a mask separating me from society and the face that God created for me. That sounds dramatic, however, emotions can hold a lot of power over our thoughts. When I see someone with acne I hardly notice, the only reason I notice is because I struggle with it. It is such a natural thing that happens to everyone. Given enough power, our insecurities can start to take over and, in our minds, become our identity. But, our insecurities don’t define us. We are so much more than the flaws that we focus on. People will always try to pull others down because they allow their insecurities to rule them. We can be better than that. We should recognize those things that may jump out at us and build others up in those areas specifically. Showing love, compassion, and encouragement to others in areas where we need it has the opportunity for our opinions about ourselves to switch.

It’s Always Something

We will always have something, but it is how we respond and recover that will depict our next move. We want to strive to let those things that can eat away at us roll off our backs. We want to walk forward confidently knowing that we caught the thief and outsmarted them. My acne doesn't define my beauty or how I feel about myself, it is not my identity. It is a natural thing and although it may not happen as often to someone else as it does to me, doesn’t mean I have to be defined by deprecating thoughts or disappointment. We are created with equal value yet unique with the challenges that we are left to face and conquer. I have a list of other things that I struggle with beyond my acne and I am not alone, but I want to step out knowing I do my best both mentally and physically. I say all this to myself knowing that every day is a struggle and every day we need to remember that we are our biggest critics. Although some people like to pick on our insecurities, treating everyone with kindness and compassion teaches us to let comments and looks grow us stronger and love those things about ourselves even more. We are more than our insecurities, they do not make up or define our identity.

Maybe one day I’ll be able to write a post about how I healed my hormones, but as for right now, all I can do is ignore and embrace my breakouts. Remembering that they aren’t my identity. This may seem like an intense topic to some, and if that is the case I am so ecstatic for you that this is something you have already mastered. I hope that this week was an amazing one and that you are excited about the weekend. If you enjoy The Allie-Way please share it with someone, that would mean a lot. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to fully join the Allie-Cat club. And don’t forget to stay up-to-date on Instagram by following @Theallie.way. Thanks for reading Allie-Cats.

• Dru Allie