Author: Katie Sommers

Katie Sommers is a Catholic from Muskego, Wisconsin. She is a Junior Early Childhood Education major at Franciscan University. Katie loves running and is on the Franciscan Track and Cross Country team. Katie's thoughts and adventures can be found on her Instagram page @Katieesommers.
Litany of Self-Esteem

Litany of Self-Esteem

Katie Sommers
By Katie Sommers

Every single day, I am bombarded with lies that I am not enough. These lies come in many different forms. Although they can often appear out of nowhere, they also can pop up from comparison, gossip, jealousy, etc.

Maybe I feel left out by friends or peers and hear in the back of my mind, “They don’t like you—you’ll never be loved and accepted.”

Or maybe I’m running on the track and someone passes me and I think, “I’m too slow; I’m not a worthy runner.”

Or maybe I notice that I haven’t been asked out in a while, and I am taunted with the lie, “Something must be wrong with me… no one will ever want to date me.” Each lie that I am fed is a twisted version of the truth.

In order to combat these lies, I fill my mind with truths. When doubting my self-worth, I like to remind myself of these truths in form of prayer. Below, I have shared a prayer I wrote, so that those of you who share in my struggle of low self-esteem can call upon Jesus to help you believe in your inherent worth and goodness as a beloved daughter or son of the Father.

The Litany of Self-Esteem:

From the desire of being liked and admired… deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being popular… deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of having a good reputation… deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that I need to fit in… deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of looking foolish… deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that I am not enough… deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that I am not attractive enough… deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that I am not smart enough… deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that my identity lies within my intelligence… deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that my identity lies within my appearance… deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that my identity lies within my weight… deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that my identity lies within how well I am liked… deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that I am too far gone… deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that no one could ever like me… deliver me, Jesus.

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That my identity lies in the truth that I am a beloved child of God… Jesus, grant me the courage to believe it.

That I am a beautiful masterpiece made in God’s image… Jesus, grant me the courage to believe it.

That I am fearfully and wonderfully made… Jesus, grant me the courage to believe it.

That I am called to a holy life… Jesus, grant me the courage to believe it.

That You are within me and I will not fall… Jesus, grant me the courage to believe it.

That You will give me the desires of my heart… Jesus, grant me the courage to believe it.

That You will be with me and will never leave me… Jesus, grant me the courage to believe it.

That I was made for sainthood… Jesus, grant me the courage to believe it.

That I am the light of the world… Jesus, grant me the courage to believe it.

That I was made to praise You with my body and spirit… Jesus, grant me the courage to believe it.

That You want me to be happy in paradise forever with the angels and saints… Jesus, grant me the courage to believe it.

That You have the power to transform my flawed thoughts and actions into a greater good… Jesus, grant me the courage to believe it.

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I recommend praying this whenever these kinds of negative thoughts feel especially invasive and convincing. Or even feel free to meditate daily upon these truths, in order to ingrain them into the depths of your heart.

Gratitude for the Body You’ve Been Given

Gratitude for the Body You’ve Been Given

Katie Sommers
By Katie Sommers

I have been struggling with body image ever since I was in middle school. It seems like a pretty common issue among young women. Back then, I thought none of the boys liked me because I was “too fat.” (I was nowhere near “fat,” but I came up with this lie about myself, thinking there must have been something wrong with me.) This lie has stuck with me even through college.

I like to think of myself as a pretty positive person, but when it comes to my body, I can be pretty critical. When I look down at my stomach or my calves, I don’t see a beautiful gift from God, or limbs that move at my command—I only see the negatives. I notice that when I look down, I often don’t see good. Rather, I saw fat, faults, and flaws that I regard as pathetic results of my carelessness. Why is it that I easily can point out the beauty in others, but when it comes to myself, I cannot help but pick out the faults?


And to make it all worse, I constantly compare myself to others. When I see someone tall and slender, I suddenly feel short and fat. When I see someone with skinny legs, arms, and abs, I suddenly feel lazy. And the list goes on. Why am I like this? Why can’t I just rejoice in the beauty of others without forgetting my own?

But really— each body is so amazing. Not only is every body unique in so many ways (fingerprints, hair texture, eye color, etc.), but every body is truly a miracle made in the image and likeness of God. Every body has so much potential. When you see a baby, you can see how the baby’s legs are likely going to grow and how the human body is made to get stronger, to stretch, and to transform.


I think if we saw the full potential of our bodies, we could start to see the full potential of our whole selves—our souls, how we spend our time, and our relationships.


Bodies heal themselves, they fight for our health, they can get tan, they give you endorphins, they can sit for hours. Bodies can leap, run, lay, swim, crawl, dance, twist, bend, sit, kick, squat—the possibilities are limitless. Bodies can even be art (i.e. through dance, sports, or makeup), and bodies can even express a language.

I think it really sad how easy it is to misuse our own bodies— whether that be using them to do evil, or doing nothing with them. Either way involves not trying to achieve their full potential to do good.


So many times we neglect our bodies. We find ourselves spending hours idly sitting on our butts, comparing ourselves to people on Instagram. It is so easy to take our bodies for granted. Think about all the people who would love to spend a day with a completely healthy body with all of its parts moving fluently— the elderly who cannot walk any more, the amputees who would love to just walk normally again, etc.

Your body is a gift, so next time you look at your leg and only see fat or some other insecurity, think for a moment about who else in the world would long for functioning legs, or to be young again, or to have the great capacity for healing and cherishing that beautiful instrument.