I’M NOT ALWAYS OKAY, AND THAT’S OKAY

Social media gives us this idea that everything needs to be okay with us 100% of the time. But honestly, that’s a load of crap.

Yes, I am a christian. Yes, I believe that I can pray to our mighty Savior to find peace and comfort. Yes, I am blessed with friends and family that love me. Yes, I have millions of things to be happy and grateful for. But no, that doesn’t mean I don’t struggle on the daily.

Honestly, I have felt guilty many times that I have such a great life, but can still feel down and melancholic. Which is ridiculous, I know.

I would compare my reasons of sadness to other people’s and if I felt my feelings weren’t as valid as theirs, I would tell myself to get over it. But let me tell you… this is an AWFUL mindset to have !!!! And I hope you never do that to yourself.

I’ve had to teach myself that my feelings are VALID. If I am upset because of the way someone treated me, or because life didn’t go as I had planned, that is okay. Unfortunately, not everyday is going to be filled with rainbows and butterflies.

To be honest, I’ve been in a gloomy state for the past couple weeks. Life has been throwing me curveballs left and right. It can be hard to be present in life and fully connect with those around me. It’s something that takes lots of energy and will power, but it’s not impossible. And that’s okay.

What I’m really trying to tell you all is that every single person on this planet finds themselves in seasons of sadness. It’s inevitable as human beings. That doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with us, or that we’re different from others.

If you are feeling down-hearted, I would first identify what you’re feeling, then assess the situation. Depending on who you are, you may just need to step back from your normal, social, cheery self and take a deep breath. Or maybe you need to keep that consistent human interaction to process and cope with the struggles. Whatever you need to do, do it. Even if the world is moving at 100 mph, don’t feel like you have to keep up. It’s okay to take things slow.

The way you take care of yourself and your health is the only thing that is really in your control. You can’t control the way the world treats you or the things that happen, no matter how much you plan. What you can do is focus on the way you react to life’s situations.

Pray for peace, comfort, and strength. Really think about what you’re feeling and why. Give yourself a break. You deserve it.

FINDING CONFIDENCE IN A JUDGMENTAL WORLD

Confidence is hard. This world is full of comparison, self-doubt, feeling less than enough, and more nasty thoughts. I’ll be completely honest – it took me YEARS to gain confidence, and I still struggle everyday. However, this wasn’t something that I always struggled with. When I was younger, I had ZERO cares about what others thought of me. I wore my crazy neon, splatter painted shirts and sweatshirts, simply because I wanted to. But soon I began to hear the compliments given to the girls around me who had “super cute!!” or “adorable” clothes and I felt discouraged. In my mind, I was rocking my clothes, but it saddened me when I learned that the other girls didn’t think so. That’s when I became insecure about my appearance. And honestly, that was one of the most self-destructing things I could’ve done. Not only did I begin comparing my clothes with the other girls, but my body as well. I believed that if I was comparing myself with other girls around me, so was everybody else. So I began to change myself into someone I wasn’t. I remember wanting all black, classic Vans shoes for the longest time because thats what all the “cool” people wore. I finally got those shoes for my birthday one year and I was SO happy for the time being, but honestly, they got old and worn out really quickly and I didn’t even like them. I sought the attention and popularity of other girls so much, that I changed who I was. How sad is that?! But this obsession over my appearance eventually led me to hate my body. I hated the weight that I carried for most of my teen years and I hated the fact that I couldn’t go to a pool party without feeling totally insecure. I hated the way that I looked and fit into clothes and again, I wanted to be someone I was not. And honestly, this is something that has been a huge struggle for me until recently, but even now, I have my moments of insecurity. Sometimes I still stress about working out or eating “too much,” and sometimes I still stress about finding a cute outfit, but it’s a little different now because I don’t try to compare myself. I sometimes stress about my food intake and working out because I want to have a healthy mind and body. Other times I stress about having the cutest clothes, but according to my style, not thinking about whether or not the cute boys that are following me or the popular girls will approve of my outfit. Although I do go through those times of failure, letting the struggles of the world get into my head, I try to stay focused on the person that I want to be and the person that God would be proud of. And honestly, it is so freeing to not worry about fitting the image that society tells me I “should” strive for. I hope that through my difficult journey you can learn the importance of loving yourself for who you are, and NOT what others think you should be. But it’s up to YOU!

THE NECESSITIES AND BLESSINGS

There are many things that I find myself complaining about. Whether it’s going to work, school, or being around people who try to tear me down, I get discouraged. However, a couple weeks ago after having a heart to heart conversation with my sister, we decided to think about these dreadful topics as our “necessities and blessings.” It is necessary for us to go to work in order to make money, so that we can someday travel to other countries. It is necessary for us to go to school to get a good education that we can use when we are someday on our own, doing ministry work like we want to. It is necessary to be around those negative people because that’s life and we need to know how to stay positive when others begin to bring us down. Those are the necessities, but they’re also blessings because we are blessed to have the ability to work and earn money to buy food and clothes. We are blessed to go to private, Christian schools where we are constantly surrounded by Jesus-loving people. We are blessed to be around those negative Nelly’s who we can be kind to and also bring positivity in their lives. Although I am excited for the places I am going, it is important to remember the “necessities and blessings” of life that will get us there.