Loving Yourself: A Top Priority

When people think of February, they usually have one of two views on it: it’s either a month filled with hearts and everything pink, or it’s a horrible month containing the most horrible holiday. I get it- if you’re single, what’s the point of Valentine’s Day if there’s no one there to share it with? Right?

Wrong.

Instead of dreading February because you’re “forever alone”, start by making it a month of self love. We’ve all heard the cliché quote, “You have to love yourself before you can love someone else.” It may be totally overused, but in all aspects it’s insanely true.

While reflecting on myself a few days ago, I came to some realizations. Self love is one of the most important things you can achieve, but it is also one of the hardest things. Going deeper into my journey, I acknowledged some important aspects.

1. Take care of your body: it’s a lil machine, and it needs a lot of love. Rest up, eat well, and workout plenty.
2. Put yourself first: it’s important to be a little selfish sometimes, especially when it comes to your overall well-being.
3. Do things that make you happy: get involved in activities that you enjoy doing, and don’t do anything just to impress others. Do things that are going to benefit you, and don’t worry about what people think. If you’re truly invested in something- you’ll know. Find your niche and stick with it.
4. Accept your flaws: almost 100% of the time, others adore the things you can’t stand about yourself. Going along with that, forget about things you want to change. They make you unique, so find love in those qualities.
5. Stop comparing yourself to others: everyone is in some way different, and I think that is absolutely incredible. No one is the same exact person, so don’t compare yourself to anyone else. You’re you, and that’s a pretty awesome thing.

Finding self-love is a long journey, but it is such an important one to find yourself on. Acknowledge your worth and know that you deserve the entire world. Set a goal, and work hard to achieve it-but remember, bumps come along to keep you from some goals. Don’t beat yourself up if you get off track-you’ll get back to the groove soon.

Lastly, instead of resorting to the good ‘ol phrase, “I hate myself” when you do something wrong, replace the “hate” with “love”. Make it a pattern, and your mind will start to believe it.

Freshman Year In Review

As I sit at my kitchen table writing this blog post, I am absolutely mind blown that my freshman year of college is over. HOW is it over? I feel like I just moved to Mt. Pleasant yesterday! When they same time flies as you get older, they aren’t kidding around. SO many things happened over the course of this year, and I grew so much.

As my senior year came to an end and summer began, I had the dreadful “move-in day” cloud hanging over my head. I knew that in a few short months, I would have to move to a completely new place and begin a new chapter of my life. Being extremely close to my parents and having the best friends in the world living minutes away from me, I was not ready to go to college at all. Eventually, August 20th came creeping up and it was time for me to start my freshman year at Central. I went through the week of Leadership Safari and I had a blast meeting new people, but I was ready to go back home. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a summer camp where you could just go home right after it ended. This place was my new home, and I had to get used to that. I was fine for the first couple of weeks (besides the HORRIBLE heat), but the feelings of homesickness really hit me during late September. I called my parents sobbing my eyes out multiple times a day, and started regretting my choice of going to CMU. I came home almost every single weekend because being home was my only feeling of comfort during those first few months at school. I toughed it out for a couple of months, and I finally felt comfortable in my dorm around Thanksgiving. I started spacing out the weeks that I went home so I had something to look forward to, and that helped me so much.

Around Christmastime, I was having the time of my life. I have such incredible roommates that I could not be more thankful for, and they bring out the best in me. I found myself living my life how I was before I moved to college, and I was back to my happy self. I went home for winter break, reconnected with all of my friends from high school, and got to see my wonderful family. What I wasn’t prepared for was going back up to school after winter break, because I started missing home again. This time wasn’t as bad, because I figured I was just used to being home for a while. And I was right- after about a week or two, I started feeling like my normal self again- thank you again, roomies!

Now, in late April, I am realizing that CMU is the best decision I’ve ever made. I am a part of the amazing LAS program, and I have made such incredible friends that I KNOW will last a lifetime. The LI helped me so much, and there were so many resources and people who I could go to if I ever needed help. I found my hobbies and study spots and really focused on myself this year. I grew so much as both a person and a leader, and I learned so many things. Here are just a few of them:

• It is okay to cry. I promise. No one will judge you- and if they do, who cares?
• It is also perfectly okay to visit home. After all, home is where the heart is!
• Calling your parents more than one time a day is normal- even if it a 2 minute FaceTime to see your dog.
• DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY! Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.
• Bring lots of snacks with you. The caf is not good- sorry Robby.
• People want to help you- you just have to ask for it!
• Not everyone you meet is going to be your best friend- don’t force friendships.
• Sleep is very valuable and naps are wonderful.

Over the course of this year, I realized all of these things and more. Freshman year was an up-and-down rollercoaster, but I am so thankful for the things that happened and the people I met. Fire up Chips!