In all honesty and complete openness, I have never really been comfortable with myself, or who I wanted to become. Quite frankly, I had no idea who I was becoming. I let opinions control and rule my own life for so long I basically made no decision on my own without constantly asking someone what they would do. It was almost as though the compilation of memories and events that were stored inside of me were simply those that had been dictated by others. In no way am I saying that asking for advice is a bad thing, but when you don’t know how to ask your own self, it becomes a problem. All throughout high school and partially my first year of college, I was too busy trying to find who I wanted to be rather than who I was.
For the longest time, I found that my self-confidence was steadily dwindling down and I was soon-to-be unbeknownst to my own self. Now that I am halfway done with my first semester of college, I have found that I am almost a completely new person, yet still finding my own way. How did I suddenly come to this conclusion that I had found my way? Well, I still haven’t, but loving myself and embracing it was only the beginning.
Loving yourself is so much more than just looking super cute and living a lavish life. It’s more about having a positive mindset, setting personal goals (which is a great idea), stop blaming yourself for things you cannot change, and most importantly, being content with you and only you.
Things that I felt have really helped me ease myself into the life I want to live included actually going to the gym more than once a week (workouts definitely help the mind), putting on that full face of makeup just because you can, eating healthier, and calling mom every once in a while just to talk for no reason at all.
Since I’ve arrived at UNCW only a few short months ago, I have felt that I’ve regained a sense of who I was and that I make my own decisions. College has truly given me the sense of freedom that I needed to really turn myself around back on the path that I’ve always needed to be on. Ever since I have really felt that I was comfortable in my own skin, things have really been turning around for me! I am genuinely happier, I feel better physically, and my mentality is stronger than ever. So essentially, loving yourself and who you really are, is the key to life and wellness!
[All photos courtesy of Pexels.com]