Take Care Of Yourself First (A Love Letter To A Broken, Younger Version Of You)

You are kind, but you are your own worst enemy.

Be your own best friend. Write notes to yourself. Stand up for yourself. Your friends rely on your blind optimism; bathe in the same light you shed on everybody else. Laugh at your own jokes. Don’t take yourself so seriously.

Be softer with you (and less compliant with other’s expectations).

You are selfless, but you need to reserve your energies. You will have nothing left if you give everything away. Don’t burn out. Sadly, I know you will.

You are selfless, but self-preservation is important, not selfish.

You are tired. Allow yourself rest. You will have days that you do not want to get out of bed or leave the house. That is okay. Do what you need to do to be whole. One day, you will find peace (within you).

You are sad, but you can (and will) conquer depression.

Accept sadness is an emotion that all humans experience. You do not have to dwell in the feeling.

You are misunderstood, but one day you will understand yourself.

You will spend days questioning your existence and putting together pieces of a puzzle that cannot be solved. Understand you are unique. A paradox. A blinding anomaly.

You are an artist. Naturally, you’re broken.

That is the secret to art. You don’t know this yet. Turn your pain into indescribable beauty. Dive into the demons that live within you. Die a few times. You will come back more beautiful and relatable. Society feels you. Speak up for the people who can’t speak up for themselves (but mostly, speak up for you). One day, you will wake up and feel brand new.

Your sharp-tongued wit leaves others feeling unheard at times.

Learn the practice of listening to understand instead of listening to respond. Respect different ways of thinking. Appreciate people for who they are. Silence your ego. You are brilliant, but true knowledge is addressing you know nothing.

You are lost, but you will find home.

You are a truth seeker. You will travel thousands of miles just to find true security can only be found within yourself. Search for truth but know you will find it (and it will be terrifying at first).

You will fight fate until you discover you are fighting what your soul wants most for you.

Face it. Heal. Help others heal too. You will receive the energy back that you pour into everybody else. Your efforts will come back to bless you when you least expect it.

You are a loyal lover, but not everyone deserves your faithfulness.

Learn how to make love to yourself. Redefine what loyalty and intimacy mean to you. Then, please share what you have to give (with someone else).