Find your inner confidence

Confidence is essential if you want to be happy and healthy. Confidence helps you meet new people, be yourself, and stick up for what you believe. A lot of people, including myself don't have very much confidence. This effects my confidence when i speak to people and when I'm around people I may not know very well. The feeling that you get when you are insecure and you are around people you don't know is a horrible feeling, take it from me. Luckily, confidence issues can be improved. You can read self-love and self-help books. These will help you get started and give you tips on what to do. You also NEED to stop being so hard on yourself. You are beautiful and no one in this world is just like you. Everyone is special and significant and you must tell yourself that everyday throughout the day. If you tell yourself positive things about yourself over and over again, eventually it will stick. When you love yourself, you will be surprised how much more confident you are. You can also exercise, this helps you to feel good and opens up your mind. You feel good and less stressed after you're done. You only have one life and it is this life. So enjoy yourself, love yourself, and be comfortable in your skin. You will never get these years back and spending them shy and nervous is not the way i want to live my life. So Im taking steps to a more confident me. I hope you are too!

heart break

I have recently gotten my heart broken. This is probably one of the hardest things I have ever been through. A three and a half year relationship brought to an end. You miss that comfort and you miss the feeling you got when you were together. I have my good days and I have my bad days. Something that really helps me is that I am nineteen years old and I have so much life ahead of me. I have so much I want to do and so much I want to see. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. So who knows maybe this tough time is just something i have to go through to finally be on the path i was meant to be. Maybe I will end up with him again when we are more mature and know exactly what we want. Anything could happen and I have to teach myself to be patient. I've always been so impatient and I want to know everything right now, but that's not always possible and I need to find myself and love myself before I can share that love with someone else. I understand why it had to happen, but it doesn't make all the hurt disappear. I miss him every day and I hope one day we are both happy whether that is with each other or with someone else. I shared a lot of memories with that kid and I will never regret them. He will always be one of my best friends, even if it has to be different now. So for anyone who is going through something like this, I'm sorry and I know it is hard, but things do happen for a reason and everything gets better with time. Trust, me it may not feel like it now, but soon enough you'll get a glimpse of why this happened to you.

Read a ton of books!

I know what you're thinking, read books? What does that have to do with anything and how on earth could I find the time to read when I hardly have time to sleep? Well make time! Reading is a great way to open your mind and find a sort of peace within yourself. Read anything and everything! Read about different religions and cultures. Read fiction books and books that make you think. Exercise is amazing, not only for your body, but for you mind! Reading helps your mind grow and also by reading certain things, you can open your mind to a place you never thought was possible for you. I used to hate reading, it took up so much time and I eventually would quit reading a book when i was only half way done because I let myself think that other things were more Important, like napping. Learning about different things is fun and it also brings out a new sense of confidence in yourself. Join a book club and you will be able to talk about the books and what you thought about them with other people just like yourself. Its fun being able to have similar interests and thoroughly talk things out with other people. It could also help your understanding of what you read. Reading and learning from what you read makes you feel powerful and it's definitely an amazing feeling. I personally love fiction stories, Buddhism books, and self-love books. Find out what you love and also find out what you may not love as much. Its okay to read something and not really like it, its about growing and finding yourself, but its always beneficial to keep an open mind to anything and everything out there.

Get a Hobby

Keep yourself busy! Of course every now and then its good for you to take a break and rest, but it's not healthy to make a routine of it. Find something you are really interested in and have fun with it! You could get into scrapbooking, photography, painting, running, really anything that makes you happy. It definitely depends on your personality. For example, I love soccer and hiking. I play soccer almost every day and hike all the time when the weather is good enough. Having a hobby keeps you busy and keeps your mind alert when you have some down time. It also brings out your creative side and is a reward after working or going to school all day. It's good to reward yourself with a little time to yourself, doing something that makes you the most happy. Hobbies relieve stress and honestly keep you sane! So try it, what could it hurt? Time to do what you actually want to do doesn't sound so bad does it? I know when I play soccer, its like my life's problems just melt away and I don't think about what i have to do for school or all the laundry I have to do. Its a time for me to enjoy myself and enjoy life all together! Hobbies are kind of like taking a step back and taking a deep breathe, so you won't be so irritable and moody. So pick a hobby, anything that you enjoy and go with it! I promise you won't regret it.

Seasonal Depression?

Does anyone else think they have seasonal depression? I really think that I am a victim to this. I hate being cold, so when winter rolls around, I have NO motivation to do anything, but cuddle in my bed wrapped up with several blankets. When summer finally comes, I instantly feel happier and I want to work out and I want to go on hikes and I want to interact with people. It's an amazing feeling that I wish I had all year. To help with seasonal depression, you have to know it is all in your mind. When you can control your mind, you can control how you think and feel all the time. I haven't yet mastered how to control my mind, but I have been making baby steps to eventually get to that point. If you can continue to focus on good thoughts and positive attitudes, eventually it will come naturally and you can be happy even in the coldest months of winer. When you let yourself be negative and lazy, you are telling your mind that its okay, when it actually isn't. So every day think to yourself positive thoughts and after you do that long enough, those good thoughts will push out the negative thoughts in your mind. It can change your life. I've read many books on how this can be very effective and its a proven fact that it will work if you put in a little extra effort. I mean it isn't like working out or doing something exhausting, all you have to do is think and think happy thoughts. See? It doesn't sound very hard and you can do it anywhere you go. Im going to keep training my mind until I have full control over my thoughts and feelings, I suggest you do the same!

Friends are Key

Friends and family are a key part to a happy and healthy lifestyle. Especially when you are younger, having a significant other is nice, but its not whats important. Friends are there for you to be yourself and they help you grow as a person. You get to be the individual that you are meant to be and they accept you for who you are. Being in a relationship when your young can hurt the person that you are growing into because you still don't know your purpose in the world or what you want to do. You need to go through this journey alone, without someone making decisions for you. Being able to make decisions for yourself and do things that you are interested in, shape who you are and what you will do career wise. Friends are there for you throughout the whole journey, but they don't criticize or critique the way you do things. They build you up when you are down and make you laugh when you are sad. Friends keep life fun and interesting and I know I wouldn't trade my friends for anything in this world. Its not the amount of friends you have, having a lot of friends isn't ideal. It's about having those one or two friends that know exactly who you are and appreciate you. It's about having those one or two friends that you can trust with your life and the ones who would never deceive you. Those friends who you can joke around with, but still have serious conversations that you wouldn't be comfortable talking about with anyone else. Good friends are much needed throughout your whole life and without them life would be almost too hard to handle.

Get Motivated!

Getting motivated is easier said than done, but once you get it nothing can bring you down. I would know, I mean I am in college and there are a lot of times where school takes over and after classes I don't want to do anything, but sleep. Those days when I give into the comfort of my bed are the worst days and I always regret it. Laying in bed all day sounds nice but it does something negative to your body and your mind. You get used to it and before you know it, you won't have motivation to do anything that was once important to you. I say go out and take a walk or a hike, the weather is starting to get nice and just that makes your mood a hundred times better! When you are motivated, you have a routine and having a routine is very healthy for your body and your soul. I have been slacking a little with this, i'm not going to lie. School has a large impact on everyone's lives. Now that it is getting nice out, there is such a bigger incentive to go outside and interact with friends and family. Summer is almost here and I can't wait to get back into working out and relaxing with my family. That is a little motivation for me to get through these last weeks of school. Getting motivated when you haven't been in a while seems nearly impossible, but once you set your mind to it, its definitely possible. Believe in yourself and get your mind right! Good things will follow.

Getting back into a routine...

Over the course of these past couple weeks, I have realized that a consistent routine is very healthy. Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with a lazy day every now and then when all you want to do is lay in bed, watch several hours of Netflix, and eat junk food. I am just saying in the long run a pretty consistent routine keeps you moving and motivated and it also shows yourself that you can take on anything that comes your way. Im in college and recently I was on christmas break, which lasts a whole month. Don't get me wrong christmas break is exactly what I needed, I was stressed over school and exams and just wanted time to relax. Going from being so busy to having absolutely no responsibilities for a month really messed with my routine and my motivation. While I was home over break I stayed up really late and slept almost the whole day away. When I came back to school I was so lazy and didn't feel like doing anything at all. I couldn't sleep very well because I was so used to staying up so late and I barely could get myself up in the mornings for class. At one point I was so turned around, that I thought I could be depressed. This was one of the major factors that led to me making positive changes for a happier and healthier life. I have started getting in bed earlier and taking showers in the morning so I feel awake and ready to take on the day. I make sure I am alert throughout my classes and I have noticed myself doing better on tests and quizzes because of that extra effort. I have been making sure that I stay on top of all my responsibilities at school and work and I find myself to be ten times less stressed out. I'm not getting things together at the last minute or having to rush to get assignments done, it's so relieving and I wish I would have been this motivated earlier on in the year. Being active is one of the major positive factors in my current routine. I make sure I can fit AT LEAST an hour of exercise in my schedule everyday. This not only makes me feel wonderful about my own body, but it clears my mind and is another amazing stress reliever. I feel confident and I try to work out right before bed so I am nice and tired and ready for a good nights rest. I hope to keep this routine going and become the best possible version of myself in the process. I'm working on loving myself so I can give that love and more right back to everyone in my life!

My Day

Today has been a really good day. I woke up this morning, with a positive mind-set to take on the day. I put on a cute outfit of my choice and felt very confident in my own skin. I have found being confident and smiling throughout the day, not only effects me positively, but others as well. I can't tell you how many people came up to me today and complimented me on my outfit and even my smile. It feels good to enjoy being me for a change. This new self-confidence, helps me to be more social and I talked to interesting people, that I have never met before. I also got a lot of schoolwork accomplished today and a very productive day just makes you feel so good inside. I'm starting to realize that I have a lot to be thankful for and the time I spend critiquing myself, takes away from the amount of appreciation I can give to those special people in my life. I have an amazing family, who supports me in every which way possible; they encourage me to do what makes me happy. My older sister is my absolute best friend and though I don't see her a lot right now because I am away at college, we talk every day and she is the one person in this world that I can tell anything to. She is a ray of sunshine in my life and I want to be able to give her that back. I am the young age of nineteen years old and I have so much to look forward to in my life. Life is what you make out of it and I intend to make mine a very happy one. No one can change your negative views, you personally have to make that change permanent. Of course, I know that I will have my good days and bad days, that's just life. I am determined to one-day feel like this every day and I know it is possible. This post was just an update of how I am making mental changes that will benefit me in the long run. I know I am not the only one that has ever felt like this and needed to change things up a bit. For those who are still struggling with their identity, I strongly encourage you to keep reading my blog and to take this journey of self-realization with me. If you don't take the steps to fix something you are not happy with, it will never get fixed. We are able to feel so much joy and love from this life and everyone should get a chance to taste true happiness.

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."
 -Steve Kloves

Baby Steps

I have always had a problem with loving myself and that's why I have found it hard to just be happy. I have the horrible habit of comparing myself to others, whether that is people around me or celebrities that I can't help but envy. The key is to just be content with who you are and what you look like. I know easier said than done right? It is possible though. I've been taking baby steps to a happier and healthier life and I already feel the beautiful side effects. I wake up every morning and tell myself what I like. Complimenting yourself sounds ridiculous, but it's very helpful. One of the most important ingredients to a happier life is a positive mindset. If you are a negative person, you choose to be that way, which spills over onto other aspects of your life. I find myself being negative and I realize that it's no one's fault but my own. Instead, I should wake up everyday with a smile on my face because I am healthy and living in a world where anything can happen. Before you can love anyone else or have healthy relationships, you have to love yourself. Love your imperfections and it will change your whole perspective on life. Growing up, I was way too hard on myself. I'm not tall enough, my hair isn't long enough, my grades aren't good enough, I'm not skinny enough.. etc. The list could go on and on, but what I have realized over the years is that I am good enough. Tell yourself every day, YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH! It feels like such a relief to just say it and believe it. Do you know what the most exhausting thing is? Constantly wanting to be better. Yes, of course wanting to better yourself is always healthy, but always putting yourself down and never being happy with who you are, literally takes every bit of energy you have. So take baby steps with me. Step one: Stop comparing yourself to others, you are an individual. Step two: Start training your mind to be more positive. Compliment yourself every day and appreciate your healthy functioning self. Step three: Treat your body right. Eat healthy and exercise. This will clear your mind and help you to be more positive. I'm not saying you have to be on a strict diet, but take care of your body and it will benefit you in more ways than one. Step four: Enjoy life! For goodness sakes, you are living and able to do whatever you want. Finding the motivation is the hard part and after you find it, it sticks with you forever. I'm starting this new positive journey as well and I know it will take time and it won't be easy, but I'm so excited and ready to be no one other than myself.