21 Things I Wish I Never Said ‘Yes’ To In College

What you don’t stand up to, you stand for. College is a fragile phase of your life. College is filled with emotions, hormones, and it’s the place where you truly designate your place in this world and who you want to be. Here is a list of everything I wish I didn’t stand for, but rather stood up to instead:

1. Being the other woman

2. Letting someone love me on their terms

3. Giving into peer pressure when it came to going out when I know my body needs sleep in order to function

4. Not speaking my mind in order to avoid conflict

5. Not saying or doing things so that I wouldn’t sacrifice the comfort of others

6. Committing to things that I don’t have time for so I could help others

7. Going places I had no interest in going

8. Forgiving people and letting them back into my space for no good reason

9. Letting things go without talking about them first

10. Being okay with being underpaid at a job I worked at for years without a raise

11. Not eating because I told myself I didn’t have enough time

12. Not taking self-care days because I had a lecture to go to

13. Not telling my friends my concerns about their relationship because I didn’t want them to get mad or for it to affect our friendship

14. Being a bystander while my friends harmed their bodies with their eating disorder or drug/alcohol use

15. Feeling sorry for myself about my body

16. Telling myself negative things about my body

17. Feeling sorry for myself when I was single rather than enjoying that time

18. Worrying about things I don’t have control over

19. Not visiting my mom more

20. Not taking the time to check in with the people I love because I was too consumed with my own life

21. Being okay with loving myself half way instead of unconditionally