#little reminders

this is it!

this is the sign that you were looking for - the sign to make fresh efforts, the sign to move forward, and the sign to let go of your inhibitions.

it’s a new day. try again. it’ll be worth it ✨

I know it’s frustrating when you don’t feel like you’re where you should be or not doing enough, but please take things slow. try to live in the moment. the present needs you more than the future does right now.

it’s okay if you’re healing your relationship with food and committing to not actively pursuing weight loss while still hoping it results in weight loss.

happy new year to everyone using the Gregorian calendar! please do not feel pressure to make 2022 “your year” or to be doing the most. it is simply okay to exist in 2022. im proud of you for making it through another year.

this is not it. this is not all there is. you have so much life left to live. there are so many more experiences out there waiting for you. just give it time.

it’s okay if the holidays aren’t your favorite time of year. it’s okay if the cold makes you depressed, the parties make you anxious, and the food scares you. it’s okay if this time is about surviving and not celebrating. you’re not alone. we’ll get through this together.

i know that not having everything planned out can be scary, but think of it in terms of possibility. the future is unknown because it is a blank canvas and you can create whatever picture you want.

i’m proud of who i once was and thankful for all that that version of myself did for me, but i don’t need them anymore, at least, not like i used to. i can save a space in my heart for them and still move onto better things.

sending good vibes to all students taking finals right now. take time to rest, relax, eat, and do whatever else your body is telling you it needs. it’s so easy to push aside our own needs for the sake of school and grades, but if you’re not taking care of yourself then you are not performing at your peak. even if your failing a class (or four) and everything feels like it’s piling up, you still deserve rest. you’re doing amazing. i’m so proud of you.

you don’t have to constantly be moving forward. you’re not a machine. rest is just as important as progress

After a set back you might be tempted to throw away all your progress, but I want you instead to take this as an opportunity to be extra kind to yourself.

1. cry. let out all tensions

2. drink water. you don’t want to get a headache

3. grab a snack

4. if you’re up for it, take a shower. if not, try to at least wash your face.

5. have some down time. watch a movie, read a book, etc.

6. reach out to someone for support. a friend, your therapist

7. take a nap. allow yourself to rest. repeat after me: “nobody need anything from me right now. the world will still be there when i’m ready for it”

we can try again later, but for now taking care of yourself is the biggest priority.

it’s okay to not know what your goals are. if you chose a path and decide you don’t like it then you don’t have to continue on that path just because you’ve already put time and effort into it. it can be frustrating, but there’s no point in progressing in a direction you hate.

i feel hopeful today for the first time in a while. was it a perfect day? nope. but i still have this overwhelming urge that things are changing for the better. so if you need a reminder that your good day is coming, this is it. it might take what feels like forever, but there will come a day when it finally feels like things are falling into place. in the meantime, just take care of yourself.

hi, friend. i just wanted to check in on you and see how your doing. have you eaten today? drank some water? gotten outside or at least opened the curtains? i won’t make you get out of bed if you’re not up for that today, but i don’t want you to shut the world out. so get some food, some water, put on a good movie, call a friend, and just be kind to yourself. love you <3.

it’s okay to miss who you once were while still being excited about who you’re becoming.

you don’t owe the world proof that you deserve good things.

you can’t even imagine how proud your younger self would be of you right now if they could see you. keep going. give them even more reasons to be proud.

i don’t know if this applies to anyone else except me, but…

it’s okay if the holidays make you sad and it’s okay to not celebrate if you’re not feeling up to it

there’s still time to be the version of yourself that you always dreamed of

gentle reminder that’s it’s okay to still be struggling even though we’re not in isolation anymore

it is never too late to set boundaries. you deserve to feel comfortable even if you didn’t prioritize it in the past.

you’re allowed to grieve the time you lost to mental illness. there are so many more adventures and happy days to come, but they don’t replace the ones you missed out on. you’re not selfish for needing time to heal from that.

Things change.

4 years ago, I was sleeping about 4 hours every night. Many of my closest friends at the time had, or were in the process of, leaving me and I would cry from the loneliness. I was fighting with my parents and wanted to leave home. They thought I was exaggerating and attention-seeking. Every appointment ended with “we can’t help you” or “there’s nothing wrong with you” or medications that made me worse, to put it lightly. More than once I wanted to end it

This morning, I woke up after sleeping for 9 hours in a room built by my dad specially for me, so I would have a space for me if I stay at home longer because of my health. I texted my best friend who yesterday asked me to be her bridesmaid. Before asking me, she spent weeks making sure it would all be accessible and fun for me, not stressful. My mum brought my medication in for me, ones that actually make me feel better, and asked how I was feeling. Later I’ll text one of the members of my lovely and amazingly supportive medical team to see when we can video call. We always have tea when we call, and cookies or a cupcake- food doesn’t scare me so much anymore. Every appointment ends with “you’re doing so well”. I haven’t hurt myself in years, I actually stopped counting, and when it all gets too much I know I have people I can talk to and strategies prepared to get through it and it will pass. Life is still hard. But it keeps moving, and I’m so grateful.

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but it will be ok. It might not be now, and I don’t know when it will be, but it will be. It doesn’t all happen at once. Things are still hard. But one day you’ll wake up and be so glad you didn’t leave, because you would have missed these moments of happiness and love, and some of them-probably more than you realise- wouldn’t have been possible without you.