Dear younger self,

I have so much I wish I could tell you. I don’t even know where to begin, if I were being honest. So much has happened in your life and you’ve been through so much. You’re one of the strongest people you’ll ever know, and I know you don’t think that’s true – but trust me, it is.

So, here is a list of things I want you to know:

1: For each heartache you face, you come out stronger than you were before. Through it all you learn that you don’t need to settle, for anyone at any time, for any length of time. You don’t have to settle.

2: You’re going to lose friends, and even some family, but I want you to know that it’s okay. These people made their own choices and you end up being so much happier without them.

3: You’re going to have your heartbroken, a few times by the same person, but trust me when I say that you find yourself because of it.

4: The times you feel worthless, the times that you feel completely alone, I want you to know that you are never alone. You are loved. You are cared for. You are worth it.

5: Life is too short to stress about you pant size, okay? It just is.

6: Surprisingly enough, you will learn to love makeup and not give a single fuck about what other people might think about it.

7: This is a big one – not every parent is a parental figure and not every parental figure will be your parent. (Although, you do have a relationship with your father now and its great!)

8: Allow yourself to love yourself.

9: Loving someone and liking them are two different things. Happy news: you learn the difference.

10: Most importantly – you do it. You get through it. You create a life that you absolutely love and wouldn’t change for the world.

This is just a fraction of what I wish I could tell you. Life can be hard, but you learn how to get through it all. You have such a strong support group, and amazing family and a loving husband. You learn to approach each day with a smile and an eagerness to grow. You’re going to go such a long way.

With everlasting love,

Your Future self