1 The Voices (2020)

The Voices

Please, please, please. Don't listen to them. Don't listen to the voices. The voices in your head that constantly put you down and make you doubt. I know how seductive they can be. I know how insistent they can be. But please, please, please, DON'T LISTEN TO THEM. 

Instead...

Listen to the voices on the outside. The ones that call you smart, lovely, kind, courageous, and beautiful. Maybe you don't believe them, but I'm begging you to try. If you cannot believe in yourself, then believe in them, and in me. And believe that when we say you are worthy of love, we truly mean it.

It may hurt to hear words of such love, but that is only because you are so conditioned to hate. So now I give you the task of unlearning all of that. It won't be easy or fun. In fact, it'll be deeply uncomfortable (and maybe even painful). But it HAS to be done.

Just think about these quotes: "The sun still shines even if it's hidden."

"The sun isn't beautiful because I say it is. It was beautiful long before I ever came along. Through my words, I am only acknowledging a fact."

Cheesy? Yes. Cliche? Yes. Important to remember? Absolutely.

Call me a hypocrite, because I am not a woman of faith, but I'm still begging you to have some blind faith now. If you cannot trust yourself, then put all of your trust in us! Believe us when we say you are good.

Even if you doubt, throw all of it aside and give us your blind faith. Take us at face-value. Please believe us. I know now why faith is a virtue and I'm begging you to have some, and if not in yourself, then in ME! Jump, and I will catch you.

And if that doesn't convince you? Imagine yourself in MY shoes. If you were comforting a friend, you would tell them how much you loved them, and how good and worthy they truly were. Would this be the honest truth? Or would you just be saying this to be nice? In the same way you would want your friend to believe that you were being sincere, please believe me.

Please, please, please believe me. Listen to the voices. Not the voices within. But the voices all around. There are so many of them. Just listen and believe.

AN: I don't know how many people will see this, but I hope those that do take this to heart and know that I mean every single word. It's hard to believe when people compliment you, but please trust them nonetheless. It's not easy, but please try. If nothing else, please at least try. Dare to relinquish control and just trust. If you can't have faith in yourself, put all of it in those you love.

(I'm fine, but I was in a very emotional voice chat earlier and this was inspired off of it. Please, to anyone who reads this, take it to heart. And feel free to reach out to me. My inbox is always open, for anything and everything!)