Dear self,

When freshman year got cut short due to the coronavirus, everyone began reflecting on their year on Instagram. Their pictures made it seem like everyone made incredible memories and had a better year than you. It made you feel so sad and lonely. Yet I am so glad you put that phone down and realized your year was far more impactful than any picture you could have ever taken. You learned so much about yourself. In case you ever forget, here is a list of all the different things you learned about yourself this year that a silly Instagram picture could not capture, as "Schitt's Creek" gifs of course.

You learned to live in the moment

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Hello, queen, the reason you do not have all these fabulous freshman year photos is that you put your phone down so you could be more present. You have learned to go for hours on end without even glancing at your phone and that is a miracle in itself.

You learned to love yourself and live with yourself

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You had a rough couple of years before college and putting yourself first needed to be your first priority. You learned a number of good mental health strategies and they actually worked and you are in a much better mental state than you use to be. You are happy, you love and forgive yourself, you do not rely on others and you know your worth. What is greater than that?

You learned to keep your room clean at all times

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Before this school year, you were a crazy hoarder and your room always looked like it just got hit by a tornado. But there must be something about starting over in a new room because you have never been more clean or organized. Even your new friends would notice and comment on your organization skills. That was always something wanted that to be good at and now it is.

You lost weight

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Freshman 15 who? Your weight has always been all over the place and it bugs you more than you admit. You were terrified that you would gain weight this year but somehow you actually lost weight? And you RUN? Who are you? You should be so proud of yourself for getting healthy!!

Your relationship with Christ grew

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You had been lacking in your faith the past couple of years. Luckily you had some incredible friends from your home church that go to OU also who made a point to invest in you and show you churches in the area. You found an incredible church, a great on-campus ministry, and met so many wonderful people who changed your life forever. Safe to say your faith has never been stronger and that is so fantastic.

You learned new passions that you can add to your resume

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You always loved taking pictures and I am so glad you stepped out of your comfort zone and applied to be an OU Daily photographer. Without a camera and/or any experience, they let you join their team. I am so glad you are at a university that wants you to succeed and gives you the tools to do so. You also became your sorority's t-shirt chair. You have a weird obsession with t-shirts so that is so neat your chapter voted for you because they thought you were worthy of this position. These roles gave you awesome opportunities to grow as a leader and learn more about your passions and hobbies.

Your roommate became an incredible sister to you

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Let's face it, your roommate practically raised you. She taught you everything you needed to know. She helped you learn your way around OU and Oklahoma, she taught you how to "party," helped transform your grandma wardrobe into something cute and modern, and gave incredible boy advice. You got so lucky that you two had no issues and that your practically random roommate quickly became your absolute best friend at OU.

You learned more about yourself

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So it turns out you are not as extroverted as you thought. You need time in between events to go to your room and recharge your social battery. That is so fine, you can still have just as much fun, you just need to space your day out in order to rest. I am glad you recognized that now and worked on it instead of running yourself crazy and never getting to have some alone time with yourself.

Looking at this list, I would say you had a PHENOMENAL freshman year. You gained so much and you learned a whole lot about yourself. You became the person you wanted to be and were proud of. Continue measuring your success in growth and not Instagram likes.

Love,

You

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I hope you whoever read this and related to it took some time and, instead of reflecting on your year through pictures, reflected on moments where you grew as a person. We need to stop comparing our lives to the photos of others. The longer we sit and compare our lives to a picture of someone we barely even know, we will rip ourselves to shreds. Our years and lives are absolutely unique and unlike anyone else's so it does not even make sense for us to compare our lives to someone else. You owe it to yourself to reflect on your year in moments of character growth and not Instagram pictures where you looked cute.