The journey from college to home
I find that when I’m around my family that no one tends to have a filter. Maybe that’s just my family, but I tend to struggle fighting back because it’s family. So, here’s a letter for me and for anyone who may experience finding going home during the holiday season hard, whether it has to do with stress or family interactions or just plain old self love.
Dear Self,
It’s ok to take a break from everyone. You deserve a good time while you’re at home, and you don’t owe anyone your time. This time is for you to take a breath and relax from working so hard at school. While you’re at your alone time, remember to smile while you look in the mirror, you deserve to see the prettiest side of yourself. Sit and write, take a breather, take bubble bath and take your time. You deserve this time.
More importantly, the words of others are not to affect your happiness. Not your parents or your grandparents or anyone can influence your own thoughts. It’s important to take all those things with a grain of salt. Take all those things and find a way to make it positive. If someone says you’re too loud, remember that you have an eye-catching personality. If someone tells you that you talk to much, you have so much passion bottled up. If someone says you’ve gained weight, remember you were showing love to yourself. No one can dictate how you think of yourself. Your mind is your thought process, you have the power and control what you think about yourself.
While you’re getting your mind right, remember to take a break from your stress. This is your vacation. Take this moment, whether it’s five minutes before work to take a deep breath, unclench your teeth and relax your shoulders. As of now, you must do what’s in the moment. No school, no juggling, just live by the minutes and let life happen. You can’t control everything, and that is fine You don’t always need to. Fall in love again, whether it’s with yourself or if it’s with baking cookies or taking baths. You deserve to remind yourself of all the things in life that are enjoyable.
As you take the time to de-stress and enjoy yourself, I want you to prioritize yourself. Sometimes you feel like you need the money, or you need to help the person move, or in some cases you may need to compromise family time. You’re no good to anyone if your mental state is all over the place. Find a way to put YOU first. Remind yourself that if you want to be your best, and present then you need to take care of yourself. You must love yourself before you can give your all to anything else
Love,
Yourself