Ros Limbo Fights Her Body Insecurities in the Summer

Ros Limbo used to date a photographer. Looking at his photographs, the 25-year-old remembers staring at the same body type over and over again. “They all had super long legs, rock hard abs, toned arms and the perfect bum,” Limbo said. “Whenever I looked at them, I realized they had the perfect ‘beach bodies.’”

• What is Bipolar disorder?

Limbo, who lives with bipolar disorder II, constantly feels pressure to be perfect. It’s feeling she’s had since grade school, when she first started experimenting with diet pills. By the time Limbo graduated high school her eating habits resembled those of an eating disorder. “I still struggle with food,” Limbo said.

While Limbo strives to be healthier, summer threatens any progress she’s made. “I am prone to get depressed in summer because of how insecure I feel,” she said. “It is hard for me to feel very comfortable in my body, but I suppose that is part of the healing process. I can now look at myself in the mirror, something I could never do in the past.”

Often, Limbo tries to dress in a way that makes her comfortable – wearing a bikini with a wrap or tights underneath her dresses. But in Windhoek, Namibia, where Limbo is from, the summer heat makes dressing how she wants to dress difficult. “I hate it because I don’t feel comfortable,” Limbo said. “Summer makes me very self-conscious. At that moment my anxiety increases and I start feeling the need to eat less and exercise”

Limbo credits the medication she takes for her bipolar disorder for the strides she’s made decreasing the frequency of her depressive states. “I’m slowly building up my self-worth,” Limbo said. “It’s a process where some days are better than others. However, if anything, bipolar has made me resilient. I know that one day I will love myself fully and without reservation.”

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