First off, realize that I’m not a physician so the information is a personal opinion.

You will need to get to the root cause of your self-confidence issues, perhaps seeking therapy.

Why do you want to lose weight?
Mine was for health reasons, tumors/cysts. Doctors wanted to cut on me (surgery) and I did not want to go that route.
So, getting back to you..why do you want to lose the weight?
I’m sure you know what it will take to lose the weight, eating right, portion control, exercise.
But unless you get to the root cause, find the motivation, I’m wasting my and your time.

I could tell you that if you don’t lose the weight, that there is a chance you will be plagued with health problems, particularly as you get older, but I’m sure you already know that.
Image yourself at your ideal weight, find someone that has a similar body structure as you do but at the weight and physique that you want to be.
Ask yourself is it worth it to change your life to look that him?
I understand that being in college that the average student does tend to gain weight, I start my Fall Term in a few weeks, so I know.
But as a student you also know what it takes for you to get good grades, pass that exam.
Hitting the books, or what the Brits call mug (studying hard) and saying no to the partying.
The same with losing weight. Saying no to foods that got you were you are now, letting go of your current lifestyle for a new you.
Gosh, I meant to keep this brief (smile).
Realize DDub that you’re worth what it takes to reinvent yourself or to be reborn to the new you.
Take it slow and steady, Eliminate the junk food by changing one bad food for a good one.
Self-determination and self-love..you are worth it.
You have age and time on your side, do it.

A few ideas that most don’t realize in addition to the regular weight loss stuff.
Digestive enzymes, helps digest cooked foods and thereby increasing your metabolism.
Don’t know if you want to go this far but proper food combining will also help lose the weight
The processed foods, sugar, junk foods are pretty much made for you to gain weight, again a personal opinion.
So you’re gonna have to go clean; fresh fruits, vegetables, clean water.
Sorry, this was so long
Wish you the best DDub

I know lots of good parents who have children with no self motivation and who don’t understand the importance of an education……How can I start now instilling the importance of school without micromanaging my child (I have an issue with that too). I want to be helpful, but not controlling.

Also, how can I start preparing for college. I see so many kids floundering through high school and parents resigning themselves to being happy with a C.

Don’t get me wrong, if a C is the best he or she can do we’ll celebrate and each child is different.

I don’t need them to be the best….I want them to be the best they can be.

PS…I’ve already told my child that teachers are the most important people in the world…without them we wouldn’t have doctors, mommies and daddies that can read to him, policemen, or the people that make PBS KIDS!

I think a parent showing genuine interest in their child’s education really helps. If the parent doesn’t care, why should the child? My dad would read a story to me every night when I was younger and I really think that helped me to become a better reader and become interested and excited about reading. When I did homework he would always help out if I asked him to and when I was done he would check it over and try to help me out on questions I had gotten wrong. My parents would also reward us for good grades or improving our grades. That was our allowance. When your child gets older, middle school and high school, then you can start asking them what they want to do in the future, what their goals are. For right now though, just show an interest and that should be enough. Best of luck

What types of things can I do to help myself be better at socializing? Because I’m very awkward talking to people and especially holding a steady conversation.

when your school starts, in class try to talk and get to know the people sitting around you. start this by saying stuff like, "hey did you see the movie_____" or "Can i borrow a pencil/pen" stuff like that to create a sense of notice between you and the other person. You have to get involved if you want to get know people. people arent just going to come to you and be your friend. You have to want to as well. Join a sport, club, ASB thing or something. Remember to be friends with the right people and not just anybody.

What types of things can I do to help myself be better at socializing? Because I’m very awkward talking to people and especially holding a steady conversation.

Take drama classes, watch tv and see how the characters interact with each other. Watch how family members and church members and people about town interact with each other. Go to polls and surveys and answer questions so you get good at answering random questions. Write down questions that are fun and interesting to you. Y/A has an entertainment section with categories like jokes and riddles and polls and surveys. It is always good to have a good joke, so copy them down so you don’t forget the punch line. Polls and surveys has a lot of good questions and they change all the time, so it is a good source for questions to ask when the conversations stall.
Where’s the last place you would want to be seen?
What scares you the most?
Scariest/weirdest dream you ever had?
If you could reverse time, what would you do differently?
What’s going through your mind right now?
Tell me something fun about yourself?
What’s the best dream you ever had?
What makes you happy?
Do you ever get a song stuck in your head? What song?
How has the recession affected you, your family?
Tell me about a personal experience in your life?
How many countries have you been to? What was your favorite one?
What is your favorite kind of food, Italian, Chinese, French, Mexican….?
What is your favorite movie, song, book?
When have you felt the most lost?
What was your favorite pet?
What is the most expensive/strangest thing you ever bought?
Where’s the strangest place you ever fell asleep?
What is the longest amount of time you ever stayed awake, and for what reason?
Have you ever done anything on a dare?
Have you ever walked into the wrong public restroom?
If you could teach the world to sing, what song would you choose?
If you were born the opposite sex, what would you have been named?
What gift do you wish you had been born with?
What’s an assumption people make about you, that couldn’t be more wrong?
What’s the one thing you would like to do that would shock your friends and family?
If you could be any character in a movie, who would you be?
What has disappointed you most in life?
If it wasn’t for modern medical intervention, would you still be alive today?

Basically what I told myself is that I am me and people have to deal with that. Do what makes you happy. You don’t always have to have friends to always be with, I’ve found that being a loner is quite interesting. Also, when I see people sitting at a table by themselves, I don’t think of them as nerdy, I think of them as courageous, especially for high school. :]

That was off topic..anyways…back to the point.
A few confidence builds are:
-Wear what you feel comfortable in
-Smile, lots!
-Appreciate yourself.
-If you’re religious, remember that you’ve been put here for a reason, you aren’t worthless.
-DO NOT compare yourself to other people, ever.
-Try to make friends with positive people. You know, the people who don’t worry about weight all the time.
-Find a hobby you enjoy/ are good at. Try hard in school and get good grades. Good grades = ego boost.
-Take care of yourself. Use good hygiene. Exercising is a really big self esteem booster and it helps you become healthier.
-Don’t let people run over you.

Lastly – Don’t care what other people think. I repeat….DO NOT CARE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF YOU!

I know that sounds hard, but that’s basically how I gained self confidence. Do what you want, dress how you want, or whatever, because you only live once, why spent live worrying about what others think?

1) Lots of ‘leftover’ work. Taking advanced college classes (21 credits), no friends to group study with. Feel like im at ‘war’ myself. Have a high gpa, having trouble with 2 classes, dont want to drop any classes.

2) Lack of motivation of doing my work, at least for now. I am hating myself right now for this lack of motivation. but i feel completely drained out. i have never really had trouble finishing off work before, but feel burnt out.

3) Social life is sucking, but i am willing to sacrifice that for now. But i need to talk regularly to my very close friends, which i do not get the chance to.

4) i have this undying will to do crazy stuff all the time, and any ‘lows’ or ‘normal moments’ make me hate myself. Please help.

WOW that sounds just like me, right now. we have a lot in common. The symptoms sound like mild depression, but with me, I don’t feel depressed. If you feel depressed that might be it, or you might not be comfortable in your life right now and you are restless.If you want to talk you can email me.

i have so much shit to be done. and yet i cant even get up and go to the bathroom majority of the time, when i have homework, house chores, laundry, showering, cleaning my room, calling my friends back, ect.

but yet i have NO energy and sleep like all day 15+ hours, not even kidding.

what can i do without medication, my guardian is against antidepressants therefore im going on BuSpar (antianxiety) in a couple of weeks. but i need to do something that will help me now.

You should go to counseling…it really helps and they give you alternatives that may help you as well such as journaling, going for walks to get your endorphins going, etc. There are obviously things going on with you and your psyche that need to be, if not resolved, at least discussed. I wish u all the luck..really.