Recovery

11 Reminders That You Might Not Hear Enough

1. You are always strong enough (although not always physically, you always are mentally) you are so brave and you are so powerful. Don't let others tell you that you don't have the strength or courage to do something.

2. You are constantly moving forward even when you don't feel like it. Your mind is growing, learning. Don't be upset with yourself when you feel as if you are stuck.

3. Some days, just getting out of bed is enough. On the days you feel so heavy, like the burdens of the entire human race rest on your shoulders, it's okay if you don't do anything except for drinking a glass of water and watch the sunset. Just don't let it be every day. There are so many beautiful things that await you.

4. I promise you, living a life in which you are eager to discover yourself and help others do the same is infinitely better than a life in which you don't let yourself find interest in anything.

5. Being really thoughtful, generous, intelligent, and kind is worth so much more than being "sexy." And it's great if you're both but remember that people will forget what you wore or what you looked like but they will never ever forget how you made them feel.

6. When there is something aching inside of you to tell somebody that you want them back, that you miss them, that you love them, that you wish something had gone differently or anything else of the sort, do it. Because one day when they're gone and you have no way to reach them anymore, the regret will eat you alive. You will spend every second wishing you had used those 20 seconds of courage. Make peace with people, there is no use in holding onto something that has already let you go.

7. There will be people that come into you life who won't be able to give you what you need. Some people were made for 3am conversations and some were not. This doesn't mean you shouldn't keep them around.

8. Nobody's opinion of you matters more than your own. So take the time to take care of yourself and love yourself. I promise you that when you're 21 years old and feeling like your life is falling apart that the only person who can truly be there for you is yourself. You are great. Now let yourself believe it.

9. No matter how badly you want to grow up when you are 14 and trapped in the boundaries of your school and your parents, I promise you that when you are 35 you will want so badly to be 6 years old again, dancing in the snow and shaking the snow off your boots while your mom makes you and your brother hot chocolate. Stop wishing the years away, stop wistfully dreaming of graduating college or retiring or whatever it is you're looking forward to. Because once you get there, it may be exciting but it will be terrifying and I can promise that you would give anything to be a freshman on your first day of high school, terrified of the big hallways and getting your driver's license. You are always running out of time. One day everything you have and know is going to disappear. So take the time to remember the sound of your dad's keys in the lock when he gets back from work or the way the light filters through the kitchen when it's a Sunday morning and the whole family is over for brunch or how your blankets feel when they're tucked tightly around your arms and your dog is curled at your feet. Take the time to remember how singing in your room as you get ready for school feels, how it feels when you climb the tree in your backyard with your best friend and how it seems like you've conquered the entire world, how it feels when your little brother hugs you tight and tells you he's sorry for drawing on your books. I'm not saying that once you turn 18 that your life will be hell but you will miss when everything was light and simple and kind.

10. All your life, you will want to be more. Prettier, curvier, thinner, thicker, etc. It's okay to want that for awhile but after a couple of years, you will be tired of wanting to be somebody else. Just remember that you may not be the most beautiful or the most intelligent or anything of that sort, but to somebody else, you might be that. And that's the beauty of the world. Spend more of your time wanting to be more compassionate, more thoughtful, lighter, more honest; things you can control.

11. The most cliche yet true thing anybody can ever promise you is that things get better. From personal experience, I can tell you that if you just let things be, eventually everything will be better. You will feel free and light and good and like you are flying. Please just wait for it. Don't get impatient. Your time is coming. You are always getting closer please please please don't take away the chances of finally seeing the beautiful things in the world. You'll get there. You're okay. It's okay. Everything is okay. I love you.