If you read my last blog post, I just want to start off by saying a huge thank you! It means so much to have 1.4k reads and I received so much positive feedback on all of the things I was so scared to just put out there.

I couldn't decide between making this next blog post about self confidence discovery or how to make decisions for you, so ultimately, I decided to make it both, so enjoy the read:)

Self confidence leads to making healthy decisions for yourself which means I am going to start off with building self confidence. By no means is having self confidence easy, especially not in this generation of social media. We are constantly worrying about the number of likes we get on a picture , the followers we have on our account, the comments we get, rather than thinking about how we love ourselves, and how we felt when we took that picture and the context behind it. Instead of just enjoying the moment we spend time taking pictures trying to make sure they are " insta worthy", don't worry I am also guilty of this. It isn't necessarily a bad thing to capture pictures of fun moments, but we also need to start spending time in the moment, because life is so beautiful. We can not preach self confidence if we also are the exact same ones that tear people down, society, social media, negative people are what tear others down, we tear others down. Please stop comparing yourself to your best friend, your other family members, your boyfriend/ girlfriend's success because you are NOT them. You are you and you are enough. Love yourself so you can love those around you. Do not spend all your time picking out other's flaws because of your own insecurities, it just isn't right for you or for them.

Recently my mental health suffered, I completely lost who I am. If you know me haha you know how that was , I stopped loving myself, I didn't feel confident being out because I felt like I was gaining too much weight so I hid in wearing sweats and I never took action. I stopped laughing at everything, which in return stopped those around me from laughing too. Those that love me suffered with me. Read that one more time. That is right, when you suffer, those that truly love you will suffer too.(Shout out to my best friend, work friends, and my family for being the best ). I finally picked myself up and started going to the gym( s/o to my best friend for going with me), it increased my self confidence, it's healthy, and it makes my day so much better. One simple thing increases my self confidence, so I go whenever I have the day off! When I find time I treat myself, I go shopping, take a hot bath, just stuff in general that I personally enjoy. I can honestly say I have never been so content with where I am in my life because of taking the steps to work on me and realizing I am different and that there is no one that is the same.

I'm sure you've heard the saying "you are who you surround yourself with" and I'm here to tell you it's true. You surround yourself with negative people, not only will you be brought down, but you will become negative, and you will be negative towards others. It is so important to remove yourself from negative people and I cannot express this enough. Do NOT settle, you deserve so much better. I would have to say this is probably my biggest mistake I make when it comes to relationships, I settle. It took me until a month ago to realize how worth it I am. This means I am worth amazing strong friendships with friends who support me, not ones who compete with me and bring me down and use me. I am worth a relationship with someone who knows my worth and loves me for it, someone who trusts me, not someone who controls me and points out all of my flaws. You are worth it too. You are worth amazing friends and relationships.

I challenge you to comment a positive comment on someone's facebook, instagram, twitter, or whatever social media platform that you otherwise usually wouldn't comment on, I bet you it would light up their day & you never know who might need it. You might just save a life, just one simple gesture you might not think anything of, could be the reason someone decides not to end their life. You want another challenge? Check up on that person you were thinking about a couple days ago but haven't actually talked to in forever, they might need it right now. Tell someone you appreciate them, you love them, you think they are beautiful, anything you see fitting.

This leads me into making decisions for you. Making decisions that are best for you and the sake of you mental health sometimes also means saying no. Trust me, I know that is hard to do sometimes. I think one of my biggest weaknesses is saying yes even when I know I really shouldn't, but being a people pleaser does that to you. Until recently. I stopped apologizing for everything, because I am not sorry that sometimes I cancel plans or say no to plans because I felt like staying home. I am not sorry that sometimes I make plans but my depression and anxiety make me want to sleep in instead. I am not defined my my depression and anxiety, but sometimes it does control what I do. Sometimes I don't feel like eating because my medications got adjusted and it caused a loss of appetite. I also don't owe anyone an explanation for my actions or choices and neither do you. Stop apologizing, stop explaining, start making decisions you want to and not what you think others want. Choose you. Always choose you, choose your mental health. In one of my favorite songs it says "Seems like a part of me will always have to lose every single time I have to choose" ( Highly recommend the song "Wondering" from High School Musical the Musical haha such a rando song I know). Sometimes, you just have to put yourself first and it took me 3 months of therapy to do that.

I just had to make a few life changing decisions a few weeks ago that changed everything, and let me tell you that it was so so hard to do. I gave up a Disney work experience along with a few other internships, left the school I thought I wanted to be at, all to do what makes me happy. I decided that all of my decisions are up to me, not anyone else. It's scary, it is scary to make decisions for your future when you don't know what the future holds, but who does? Not you and not me. So, I had to finally stop worrying what expectations my family had set for me, because I was living a life I didn't want to and I was suffering. Now, I can easily say I am doing what makes me happy. Some days are still hard, but that will never change, however I'm confident that everything will work out eventually, and if it doesn't, I'll learn. Take a chance, make a change. What in your life is making you unhappy? Why are you doing it? Change that, make your own decision and stop listening to people's expectations of you, they are not you, so they do not get to make you decisions for you.

It is important to remove yourself from situations you feel uncomfortable in, and don't be afraid to ask to remove yourself. Trust me, by doing so you will feel so much better. If someone is yelling at you and it's making you upset, ask them to calm down. If you're in a situation that goes against your religion, ask to be removed, because you matter & your choices matter. It's time we start learning how to voice our own opinions and to stop backing down because we are afraid of how others react. You have a voice, so voice it. If you're afraid people won't listen, make them. Share your story, your view, you never know who is listening , who you might impact.

Take care of yourself & Love yourself. Create yourself, write your story.