Understand what stresses you

This site helps me know that I am not alone. I have reccently thought about going to the doctor to be put on an anti-depressant to help with my anxiety, but I don't want to deal with the side-effects, and I thought to myself if the anxiety stays because the stressors dont go away then how i am i really helping myself. So I must stay positive and realize what I can change stress wise and what I can't. I have to find positive ways to deal with stress. I don't use alcohol or drugs and many do to cope. matter of fact one of my stressors is my boyfriend who uses alcohol and i found that leaving him improved my skin condition. however i love him and don't want to leave him even though he stresses me out. i found what helps me is to understand that i have to take action. i can't control what he does but if i focus on me and how i deal with things is what is going to help me with him and any other stressor. i have to ask myself is there something that i can do. if there is then i do it. if not then i have to accept my financial stress, emotional stress in different ways. everytime there is a stressor and i go to the bathroom to do what i got to do if i look in the mirror then i pick, and once i start i too stay in there awhile and get any blemish on my face even its really not that noticeable. i am way too preoccupied with beauty. when i was a teen i had an eating disorder. i still worry about my weight but have managed it. i realized that society places way too much emphasis on beauty. my boyfriend tells me I'm beautiful and I know that I'm not perfect but i also realized i am not actually all that bad looking. if i see things for what they are it helps me not to pick. i wash my face twice a day and will go without make-up, but when i wear it i feel better. A true motto for life is accept the things i cannot change, and realize when i can change my life. i know many many people who suffer from many mental health disorders because they've become pre-occupied with what they are not, what they don't have, and what they cannot be. Accepting oneself is the biggest gift you can give yourself. truely accepting yourself they way you are, and others too for that matter. I'm not real sure where this quest for perfection came from but i've had since i was a kid. i'm 25 and look back on my life and realize that even though all along i've felt like i wasn't good enough i really was all along. Being happy with who you are and what you've done, and accepting all that isn't grand or that you have or haven't done allows some peace with yourself. Can i get rid of the scars yeah if i've got the money. will they all go away? no. can i pay for that now? no. so i ask myself what can i do. Well for starters i can avoid adding more by taking control of my life. doing what i can instead of what i can't. i also notice that many people with anxiety feel out of control of their life. Unfortunately we are all out of control of our life. that is life. it isn't forseeable in any way. we can't control life ever. money, other people, things, anything can't make you happy only we can make ourselves happy.