Dedication: I would like to dedicate this piece to one of the most influential people in my life. This person happens to be my cousin's wife, Shawnae. I've known her for six years this July. I'm lead to believe we have the relationship we do because we are so incredibly similar. I am eternally grateful that I have been given the opportunity to have her as part of my life.
Those of you who are friends with me on social media know I'm taking a break from social media to try and focus on myself. I am currently on day two and I'm amazed. As part of working on myself, I've started a podcast series The Girl Kind broadcasted by Stephanie Dawn Elizabeth.
Now let's back up just a little—why now? Some of you are probably thinking. After another failed attempt at trying to get out on the dating scene again; I had a very serious conversation about not seeking out love and letting it happen. Those of you who know me personally; know that I am a very strong-willed, independent, and stubborn young woman with severe anxiety.
Something I also know, I feel pressure from myself and society to work on finding "the one" and getting married. This has led me to force myself to try to find someone to spend the rest of my life with. The outcome usually leaves me heartbroken and devastated. I am a caregiver and a nurture—so I tend to tell myself, "If I just give it time–they will see that I am valuable girlfriend material even though they aren't looking for a relationship." Trying to fix these men, even though they didn't need to be fixed.
One of my favorite parts of Stephanie Dawn Elizabeth's podcast series is when she talks about social media and the validation we seek from the "likes" and "comments" on social media along with how addictive it can become; while it's okay to seek validation from others you must find it within yourself first because you won't always have others to help you feel validated. I found this part of the podcast extremely inspiring considering I recently decided to take a step back from social media to find myself so I can eventually find myself and eventually find my soulmate.
Sheetal Tadiparty
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