Learning to Love Yourself: My Journey

Welcome back, friends! Sorry it's been such a long time. There's really no good excuse for my hiatus, I just wasn't feeling motivated to write anything. Yes, I've purchased tons of beauty related things since my last post but I didn't really feel like writing about that stuff. I come to you today with a non-"beauty" related topic, well I guess you could consider it about inner beauty. The type of inner beauty that radiates and shows in your outer beauty and that, my friends, is loving yourself. 

I will be the first person to admit that I have not always loved who I am and I will be the first person to admit that I haven't always had the highest self esteem. One thing I do want to make clear is that you don't have to feel like you're perfect on the outside to truly love yourself. You do have to accept all of your flaws in order to love yourself. I think there's something truly rewarding that comes with accepting all of your flaws and still being able to walk around with full confidence. "To love yourself is to understand that you don't have to be perfect to be good." Just remember that your insecurities can't control your life. 

We are about to delve into my journey into truly loving myself. I think we should start with middle and high school. I never had a lot of confidence when I was in middle and high school. I think most of that had to do with the fact that I had friends that felt the need to put me down so they could make themselves feel better (I didn't realize it was okay to get rid of toxic people until much later). The other part of it was that I just wasn't happy with myself, not necessarily for any particular reason. I will admit that I was a different person back then, I hated myself so naturally, I would look for literally anything wrong in other people just to make myself feel better. I like to call these years "my awkward stage," even though I think my true awkward stage lasted until I was probably like 22, haha. Guys didn't seem to be interested in me, they always wanted my "prettier" friends. I hated my body, I had zero confidence and to top it off I was just super awkward and uncoordinated (although I'll always be uncoordinated). Let's not even talk about my clothing choices and the way I did my makeup. (How about a "How I used to do my makeup" video??) But this isn't meant to be a pity party for awkward Bree, I just want to let you guys know what kind of a person I used to be. 

Fast forward through college, I was super busy during college, I didn't go out and party like I should have and there are a few things I regret not doing in my college years but I think it was an overall good experience. I worked a lot, not because I needed to but because I enjoy making my own money, I always have. I honestly don't even think I came into my own until near the end of my college career. I honestly don't even know what exactly triggered it. I got rid of some toxic people in my life and my confidence slowly started building from there. I think I realized that I didn't want to be at war with myself. Honestly, this is something you have to do by yourself, for yourself. It did help that I started surrounding myself with more positive people. Like I stated a few times, it's okay to let go of toxic friendships. You don't need to be around people who don't appreciate you or know your worth. 

I've learned a lot of things on this journey. It is not going to happen overnight. You're not going to just wake up one day and magically love yourself. You need to realize that talking/thinking negatively about other people, doesn't affect them at all, it only hurts yourself. You know what helps them and you? Giving them a compliment. I know you know what I mean, you know that feeling when a complete stranger says something nice about you, it's pretty awesome. Take a few seconds out of your day to tell someone you like their outfit, their hair or their smile. I think people notice a change in you after you begin this journey, some people are going to be happy for you and you're going to intimidate others, but that is no reflection of you. People try and bring me down on a daily basis, and sometimes you're going to let it get to you. That's okay. I see people saying things about me and it makes me sad, not because of the things they are saying but because I feel bad for them; I used to be them. I just think that this is important because I've seen how many things have changed since I changed. People respect me more. People can tell that I'm more confident because it truly shows. 

A few things you should always remember: 

1. Bad days are not the end of the world. It's a bad day, not a bad life. 

2. Truly loving yourself doesn't happen overnight. 

3. Accept your flaws. You can want to change things about yourself and love yourself at the same time. 

4. Choose happiness.

5. It's okay to let go of toxic people. 

6. It's up to you and only you. You can't blame your lack of happiness on other people. 

7. Surround yourself with people who lift you up, but don't forget to lift them up too.    

8. Find something you're passionate about. 

9. Always try and find the good in everything. 

10. This is a different kind of mindset. 

Well I hope this helps whoever it needs to. I'll be back to makeup/fashion related posts soon but I do have a few ideas for more posts like this! Let me know if you liked it! Hope you feel inspired. Until next time my lovelies...

Xoxo, 
Bree Michelle 

As always, social media. 
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Twitter: @blopez920