One of the hardest things to overcome is how critical we are of both our mental and physical selves. With so many of us struggling with body image issues, Ariella is honestly such a breath of fresh air in the social media world. She did, however, have to overcome her own share of adversity, including external pressure, expectations, a marriage breakdown and mental health issues. This is her story:
HUMAN: 001
Name: Ariella Nyssa
Age: 23
Occupation: Social Media Influencer + Body Positivity Influencer
TELL ME YOUR STORY:
I never really looked after my mental health when I was a teenager. It was all about the physical. "I need to lose weight to be happy, I need to have her life!" I was always comparing and was also a BIG people pleaser. I would always put others before myself and this got me into a really bad situation.
I lost friends, family members and all too soon.. Lost myself. I was depressed and anxious... my mental health had hit rock bottom.
I grew up in a christian family and always had those values instilled into me from a young age. I thought to be happy I had to save myself until marriage and get married really young. I met a boy and got married when I was 18. It soon after fell apart (3 months to be exact).
Rumours were spread and suddenly I was the villain. All because I was too young in the first place to get married. I lost friends, family members and all too soon.. Lost myself. I was depressed and anxious. I didn't want to leave the house or talk to anyone. I had no trust for anyone in my life and thought that everyone had turned against me. This was when I had suicidal thoughts and my mental health had hit rock bottom.
It wasn't until I reminded myself how beautiful and worthy I was, that everyone makes mistakes and we are all only human. NO-ONE lives a perfect life. I decided to not be so hard on myself. Bad stuff happens but it's a part of life! It's how we learn and grow from these choices, that's what really defines us.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WAS YOUR BIGGEST STRUGGLE?
The biggest struggle I had was wanting everyone to like me all the time. Even when I made bad choices I still begged people to like me and to accept me. I think realising that not everyone is going to like me was a big lesson.
You can still be there for people but you don't have to take CRAP from anyone. Not everyone has the best intentions for you and that's okay! But you do need to distance yourself from those people to be the BEST version of yourself possible. After I let go of everyone's negative words over my life and decided to make myself happy, that was when I felt most FREE.
After I let go of everyones negative words over my life and decided to make myself happy, that was when I felt most FREE.
WHAT MOMENT WAS THE TURNING POINT FOR YOU?
I started having really bad panic attacks and lashed out at many of my close friends, family and even my boyfriend. I would just EXPLODE! That's what made me realise I needed professional help. It was the best decision I've ever made and I've come so far since then!
That's what made me realise I needed professional help.
HOW DID YOU TURN THINGS AROUND?
After I started seeing a psychiatrist, my mental health was so much better! I also decided to really take care of myself with an active lifestyle. The gym was my fortress and I felt so good after exercising. I also made sure that everyday I got out in nature and drank 3L of water.
These small daily rituals helped me to feel my best, which in turn helped me realise who I was again. I also started posting on instagram and forced myself to not care about what others thought! This honestly was so freeing and I've kept growing in my self love journey ever since.
HOW ARE YOU NOW?
I feel the best I have ever felt! Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE GOING THROUGH A SIMILAR SITUATION?
I think the main thing I would have wanted to hear when I was at my lowest, was that I'm worthy. That my life is worth something and that I'm going to achieve amazing things.
YOU are worthy. A MIRACLE. Your life is AMAZING. You are worthy of all your desires and passions for life.
You can follow Ariella on instagram here: www.instagram.com/ariellanyssa
You can find out more about the Self-Love Bible App here: www.instagram.com/theselflovebible__
You can follow her YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp31Vg0VPT6SZ4hF7l18WPQ
HOW I FOUND ARIELLA:
I first met Ariella at her launch event for her very own swimwear line with Beginning Boutique. I chatted to her briefly about the new app she was in the process of launching "The Self-Love Bible" and her energy was infectious.
After a week of following her on instagram I was quick to realise just how powerful the content she shares is! I'll admit I have been super critical of my own body in the past, I'd be lying if I said I whole-heartedly love every single part of myself now - I guess working in the modelling industry really does make it difficult not to scrutinise over the tiniest, most insignificant things. I used to be quite bad when I was younger, I'd watch cosmetic surgery shows and stay up late researching the wide-world of body modification (I even google-searched surgeries to make you taller... embarrassing I know).
While I have done A LOT of work with myself, particularly learning how to shut these thoughts down, I still scroll through instagram sometimes and feel that little pang of envy. It is really difficult for women AND men, when many of the images we see have facetune-snatched waists and photoshopped abs, of course then there are people who have spend hundreds of thousands on surgery to create unachievable bodies. No judgement, people may spend their money on whatever they like, and if it isn't physically hurting anyone, I don't have a problem.
We are somewhat in control of the majority of images we see on social media (given we don't go on the explore page too often). We can somewhat control whose bodies we see and don't see. While we can follow or unfollow, these bodies do find their ways in front of our eyes.
This is a reason to follow Ariella. Not only does she post photos without any editing (which is unfortunately quite uncommon on instagram), these images are accompanied with the most beautiful and strong self-love messages that I believe we could ALL benefit from.
When I had the idea for this new series, her name was one of the first to pop into my head purely because I love what she is doing and I wanted to know more about her story and how she overcame that self-critical mindset that so many of us struggle with.
I hope you enjoyed this little interview!
The HUMAN Series
I started this series because, in a world where we all put on happy faces online and in-person, it is very easy to feel alone and isolated when we are struggling. Purely because it looks like no one else is.
I want to show you that every person has a story. Every single person on this earth has struggles and has STRUGGLED in the past. Even the happiest people have had to overcome physical/mindset hardships to get where they are in the present.
I want to hear their stories, and I want to share their stories.
I studied psychology because I wanted to help people. When I was going through a difficult time during my teenage years, I just wanted someone to say “hey, I went through that, it was really hard but I’m still here. Life gets better, it did for me and it will for you”
So, I want to bring to light the experiences of others, their struggles, how they got through it and their advice for anyone in the same (or similar) situation. As they say hindsight is 2020, when we work together and support one another, things can be more manageable.
If you think of someone who has a story that needs to be shared - please DM me on instagram (instagram.com/jessnugent1).
Love & strength,
J x
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