Hi, I've always wondered if my body image view is normal or is it more than what it should be.

I'm 28 years old and do not feel good about my body image. When I was a little girl I never worried about what I looked liked but when I turned 11 I started to think I was fat. I feel as I got older it got worse. I always thought I looked fat. I remember not going on my 8th grade class trip to the pool because I didn't want people in class seeing me in a bathing suit. After the age of 12 I stopped wearing tank tops because my arms were fat. I was always concerned with my weight and how I looked. These thoughts continued throughout high school and up until now. When I look back at pictures of me, I wonder what was I thinking! I was never fat. I feel like a lot of those thoughts held me back from enjoying myself. I had the opportunity to join the cheerleading squad in high school, something I really hoped for. The only reason I didn't join because I didn't want to wear a skirt in front of the other girls. I thought they would think my legs were too fat.

Fast forward to now and I feel like nothing has changed. I still have those thoughts. There are nights when I don't hang out with my friends because I think I'm too fat and I have nothing to wear. There's a lot of stuff I tell myself I'll do when I'm skinny. I'd love to stop thinking like this and not worry what I look like. I want to have fun whether I'm fat or not.

I'm wondering if I'm not the only one with these thoughts. Are they normal? Should I talk to a professional about it? I feel like since it's not an eating disorder that there's no need to talk to someone and I should get over it.