Going off to college has taught me a lot of very important information.

I have learned about different topics such as Philosophy and Plato. I have also learned a lot about life, such as sharing a room with someone that is basically a stranger (at first.) Keeping all that in mind, the most important thing I've learned so far wasn't in a college classroom. The most important thing I learned wasn't about sharing a living space. The most important thing I have learned in college is the importance of self-love.

Self-love is one of those things that may take awhile to master. It's trial and error. My self-love journey has been hard, but successful. I'm still not finished yet, but I can see where I am going.

My self-love journey started in high school. This was when I thought that if the people around me loved me, then I would love me too. I tried my best to be over-involved in school and the community. I tried my best to make straight A's. I made myself go to the gym every day.

Now, I'm not saying that these are bad things; they just didn't work for me. I listened to what everybody else had to say about me and tried to change myself accordingly. Sooner or later, I realized that you can't make everybody happy (shocker, I know.)

So, when I went off to college, I started the ACTUAL journey. I discovered myself. I became involved in the things I truly enjoyed. I began to eat healthier. I began to have a more routine gym schedule. I did not have to worry about all of the negative things that people in my hometown had to say because I wasn't around them. I took a social media cleanse, which was definitely helpful. I would wake up earlier and go to sleep earlier. My body began to feel so much better, and so did I.

Self-love isn't just about being happy with how you are right now at this very moment. It is about changing things to make yourself a better you. It's about eating the things you want, but not going overboard. It's about working out, but giving yourself a break when you need it. It's about listening to people's criticisms, but realizing that other people aren't always right.