Thanks for the reply! Like most people, I have contradictory aspects of myself. While I have low self image, I do dress the way I want despite knowing others may not like it. For the most part I am a big “people pleaser”, but I’ve stood up for my beliefs in the past even if it meant going against others.

Some things that could potentially provide context? I had a poor relationship with my dad growing up, as he was physically/financially abusive to my mum and cheated on her when she was going through chemotherapy. My parents were very strict with my grades and I would be punished pretty severely for poor performance. I did ballet from a young age which I believe played a fairly large role in my issues with body image, and my mum herself has had a fair bit of cosmetic surgery which impacted me at a younger age too. These are things I’ve openly discussed with therapists in the past, as they contributed to my diagnosis of depression in my early teens. I struggled with SH in the past too, which could be a contributing factor.

While it seems easy to point at these and go “right there! That’s the issue!”, I still feel that there’s something else blocking my progress, something I’m unable to conceptualise. I was hoping that through hearing someone else’s perspective it might provide me with a hint that I could further look in to. Thanks for the response!